Lovell Lake near Melrose: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  In Minnesota, Lovell Lake falls inside Stearns County. The water sits 1,198 feet up. At about 72 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. The full circuit measures close to 1.8 miles on foot. Nearest place of any size is Melrose, 8.9 miles away. Albany is 9.4 miles and Avon 14 miles. What else is close: Mud Lake (0.6 miles), Mary Lake at 1.5 miles, Schreiers Lake (2 miles), Saint Anna Lake at 2.2 miles and Tamarack Lake (2.2 miles). Local rules may differ a few miles either side of here.

• Where to Fish on Lovell Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Stearns County records list largemouth bass, bluegill, northern pike and walleye among the fish reported. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Read Lovell Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 10°F to 71°F. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near early April. Ice clears near early April and comes back about late November in a typical year. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. It sets the rhythm of the year at Lovell Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Mud Lake, 0.6 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Treat access at Lovell Lake as something to verify.