Larson Lake Fishing near Hawley, Minnesota

• Overview

  Minnesota holds Larson Lake, in Becker County. The setting is rolling bush. It runs to roughly 60 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. With about 1.1 miles of edge, you can try several depths in one session. Hawley is the closest town at 12 miles. Detroit Lakes is 12 miles and Pelican Rapids 15 miles. A county boundary sits nearby, which can matter for local access rules.

• Where to Fish on Larson Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Fish documented in Becker County include bluegill, largemouth bass and walleye. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Larson Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 69°F for July and 5°F for January. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near mid April. Climate averages put the opening at about mid April and the closing near late November. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. On Larson Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Dunham WPA covers ground next to the water; its rules will apply on that side. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. For a change of water, Mollar Lake is 0.3 miles distant. Confirm before you fish Larson Lake.