Mud Lake Fishing in Pope County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Set in Pope County, Minnesota, this is Mud Lake. It stands 1,345 feet above sea level. It measures about 47 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. Shoreline comes to about 1.1 miles, small enough to learn in a day. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Pope County. Start from Starbuck, 12 miles down the road. Alexandria is 12 miles away, with Glenwood at 12 miles. The boundary is close enough to be worth checking before you fish.

• Where to Fish on Mud Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. County-wide records name largemouth bass, common carp, northern pike, yellow perch and black crappie. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. At Mud Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 70°F; the cold one sits at 9°F. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around mid April. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about mid April until roughly late November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Plan any trip to Mud Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Should this one be busy, Mattson Lake is 0.9 miles off. Nothing here settles the position at Mud Lake for certain.