Fishing Lake Hook in McLeod County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Lake Hook is one of the McLeod County waters in Minnesota. The ground round it is mixed forest. The water covers around 324 acres, which puts most of it out of reach from the bank. On our McLeod County list it sits near the top for size. Hutchinson is the closest place, 4.7 miles off. After that come Dassel at 9.1 miles and Cokato at 11 miles. Being near a boundary, it pays to know which side you are fishing.

• Where to Fish on Lake Hook

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Fish documented in McLeod County include largemouth bass, common carp, walleye, northern pike and bluegill. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. At Lake Hook the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 11°F to 72°F. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Winter locks it down, and early April brings it back. On average, early April opens the water and late November closes it again. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. It holds true on Lake Hook more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Mapping shows a jetty some half a mile off. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Echo Lake at 0.7 miles is the sensible second choice. Confirm before you fish Lake Hook.