Fishing at Jones Lake, Goodhue County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Within Goodhue County, Minnesota, you have Jones Lake. It lies 656 feet above sea level. Small at around 16 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Most waters listed here for Goodhue County are larger. Red Wing sits 5.8 miles from the bank. Ellsworth lies 11 miles off, Prescott another 13 miles. A border sits close enough to be relevant to the paperwork.

• Where to Fish on Jones Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Open biodiversity records for Goodhue County list common carp, brown trout, rainbow trout and white bass. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. At Jones Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 72°F in July and bottom out at 13°F in January. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from early April. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about early April until roughly early December. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. The season on Jones Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. The map shows no ramp or car park nearby, so this is a walk-in water. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. For a change of water, Buffalo Slough is 0.6 miles distant. Nothing here settles the position at Jones Lake for certain.