Mud Lake in Cass County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  You will find Mud Lake in Cass County, Minnesota. The surface lies 1,473 feet up. This is a pocket water of some 11 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. On size it sits at the modest end of our Cass County list. Nearest place of any size is Lake Shore, 8.6 miles away. Beyond it, East Gull Lake at 11 miles and Nisswa at 12 miles. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Mud Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Cass County records list largemouth bass, yellow perch, bluegill and walleye among the fish reported. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Read Mud Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 7°F in January and 68°F in July. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Once it clears, about mid April, the fishing comes on quickly. The season between ice runs from about mid April to late November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Time your trip to Mud Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. Meadow Brook Wildlife Management Area runs up to the bank here, which usually means extra restrictions. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Round Lake, 0.2 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Confirm access to Mud Lake locally before you travel.