Fishing at Lake George, Stearns County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Out in Stearns County, Minnesota, sits Lake George. The country here is lake country bush. It covers about 8 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. It is a small entry by Stearns County standards. For supplies, Saint Cloud is 0.4 miles out. Sauk Rapids lies 2.5 miles off, Waite Park another 3 miles. Local rules may differ a few miles either side of here.

• Where to Fish on Lake George

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Across Stearns County, recorded fish include largemouth bass, bluegill, northern pike and walleye. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. Read Lake George for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 71°F and January about 10°F. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly early April. Averages suggest open water from about early April through to roughly late November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. That shapes the year on Lake George.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. It is marked as no fishing in mapping, which is worth confirming locally. There is a mapped slipway roughly half a mile away. There is recorded parking some 130 yards off. Toilets show in mapping about half a mile away. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Davenport Lake sits 4.8 miles off and takes the overflow. Nothing here settles the position at Lake George for certain.