Fishing at Lake Harrington, McLeod County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Lake Harrington lies in McLeod County, Minnesota. The setting is mixed forest. It covers about 12 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. About 1.1 miles of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. On size it sits at the modest end of our McLeod County list. 4.7 miles away sits Hutchinson, the nearest town. Dassel lies 9.9 miles off, Cokato another 11 miles. A county boundary sits nearby, which can matter for local access rules.

• Where to Fish on Lake Harrington

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. 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. McLeod County records list largemouth bass, common carp, walleye, northern pike and bluegill among the fish reported. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Lake Harrington responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 72°F and January at 11°F. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around early April. The water is typically free of ice between early April and late November. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. That is the shape of the year on Lake Harrington.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. No made access appears within a short radius, so plan to park on a verge and walk. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Failing this one, try Sustacek Lake, 0.8 miles away. Nothing on Lake Harrington should be assumed from this page alone.