Fishing at Kings Lake, Stearns County, Minnesota

• Overview

  In Minnesota, Kings Lake falls inside Stearns County. The bank is 1,194 feet above sea level. It measures about 199 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. The whole outline is near 2.8 miles, and most of it is walkable. Few waters listed in Stearns County are bigger. For supplies, Melrose is 5.1 miles out. Minneapolis is the closest city, 85 miles away. This one sits near enough to a boundary to be worth checking.

• Where to Fish on Kings Lake

  The basin has been measured to about 50 feet. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Across Stearns County, recorded fish include largemouth bass, bluegill, northern pike and walleye. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. On Kings Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 71°F on average, January about 10°F. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. Ice-out usually falls in early April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. The water is typically free of ice between early April and late November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Plan around that when you fish Kings Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. For a change of water, Long Lake is 1.3 miles distant. What applies at Kings Lake may have changed since it was mapped.