Fishing at Howard Lake, Scott County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Within Scott County, Minnesota, you have Howard Lake. The surface lies 938 feet up. It measures about 67 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. Roughly 1.3 miles of bank means you can walk to a fresh area when one goes quiet. By elevation it sits in the lower part of our Minnesota listings. 3.1 miles away sits Prior Lake, the nearest town. The nearest city of size is Minneapolis, 21 miles away. It sits near the edge of the county, so check which rules apply.

• Where to Fish on Howard Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Open biodiversity records for Scott County list bluegill, largemouth bass and black crappie. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Howard Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 72°F on average, January about 12°F. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near early April. The season between ice runs from about early April to late November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. At Howard Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. The closest car park is half a mile away, so pack accordingly. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. The nearest alternative is Campbell Lake, 1.1 miles out. Ask locally about Howard Lake if anything is unclear.