Kroening Lake Fishing near Fosston, Minnesota

• Overview

  Kroening Lake lies in Polk County, Minnesota. It sits in mixed forest country. This is a pocket water of some 11 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. On size it sits at the modest end of our Polk County list. Fosston lies 5 miles from the water. Then Mahnomen, 16 miles, and Bagley, 20 miles. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Kroening Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Polk County records list yellow perch, brown bullhead and white sucker among the fish reported. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. The shape of Kroening Lake decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 68°F, with January the cold end at about 4°F. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around mid April. Ice clears near mid April and comes back about mid November in a typical year. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. On Kroening Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. Kroening Wildlife Management Area takes in this water; protected-area rules will apply. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. If the gate is shut, Newton Lake at 1.1 miles is the nearest alternative. For Kroening Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.