Fishing Mud Lake in Cass County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Cass County, Minnesota, is where Mud Lake sits. The ground around here is pine and birch. Around 192 acres of surface means several distinct areas to work. On our Cass County list it sits near the top for size. Nearest town is Crosslake, 27 miles off. It is 117 miles to Fargo, the nearest city. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Mud Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Reported across Cass County: largemouth bass, yellow perch and bluegill. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Mud Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 68°F at the top of summer and 6°F at the bottom of winter. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Look for the thaw near mid April; the fishing lifts straight after. Ice clears near mid April and comes back about late November in a typical year. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. That is the shape of the year on Mud Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Spearns Lake at 0.5 miles is the sensible second choice. What applies at Mud Lake may have changed since it was mapped.