Middle Cullen Lake Fishing in Crow Wing County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Middle Cullen Lake is one of the Crow Wing County waters in Minnesota. It sits at 1,184 feet above sea level. About 391 acres, so local knowledge or a boat saves a lot of walking. The shoreline runs about 5.3 miles, so it pays to pick a stretch and stay with it. Few waters listed in Crow Wing County are bigger. Nisswa sits 2.5 miles from the bank. Minneapolis sits 119 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name.

• Where to Fish on Middle Cullen Lake

  Recorded soundings reach about 52 feet at the deepest point. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. County-wide records name largemouth bass, bluegill, yellow perch, northern pike and pumpkinseed. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. At Middle Cullen Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 7°F in January up to 69°F in July. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Ice-out usually falls in mid April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. From about mid April to around late November, expect open water on the long-run figures. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. That shapes the year on Middle Cullen Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Mapping shows a ramp about half a mile from the shore. Parking sits half a mile out, which makes for a walk with tackle. A pier half a mile from here gives a platform over deeper water. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. For a change of water, Upper Cullen Lake is 1 mile distant. None of that is settled for Middle Cullen Lake in what we hold.