Lily Lake Fishing near Sauk Centre, Minnesota

• Overview

  Lily Lake lies in Stearns County, Minnesota. It stands 1,247 feet above sea level. Surface area is around 60 acres, which gives you real water without needing a boat. Nearest town is Sauk Centre, 4.7 miles off. For a city, Minneapolis is 101 miles off. It sits near the edge of the county, so check which rules apply. Nothing about the approach is difficult in dry weather.

• Where to Fish on Lily Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. County-wide records name largemouth bass, bluegill, northern pike, walleye and black crappie. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Treat Lily Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 9°F to 71°F. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about early April. Break-up near early April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Anyone fishing Lily Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. If the gate is shut, Long Lake at 0.7 miles is the nearest alternative. The position on Lily Lake is worth confirming on the day.