Lower Hay Lake, Minnesota: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Lower Hay Lake is one of the Crow Wing County listings for Minnesota. Height above sea level is 1,224 feet. Surface area runs to roughly 700 acres, so plan for one area rather than the whole. It is among the larger waters listed here for Crow Wing County. Pequot Lakes is the closest place, 4.7 miles off. It is 119 miles to Fargo, the nearest city. Two sets of local rules meet not far from this water.

• Where to Fish on Lower Hay Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Survey and observation records for Crow Wing County include largemouth bass, bluegill, yellow perch, northern pike and pumpkinseed. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Fish Lower Hay Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 68°F and January reads 7°F. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about mid April. Averages place the thaw at mid April and the freeze at late November. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. Lower Hay Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Should this one be busy, Nelson Lake is 1.1 miles off. None of that is settled for Lower Hay Lake in what we hold.