Mud Lake Fishing, E of Little Falls, Minnesota

• Overview

  Set in Morrison County, Mud Lake is a Minnesota water. Height above sea level is 1,191 feet. The water covers some 92 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Bank access stretches around 1.5 miles in total. Little Falls is the closest town at 8 miles. Minneapolis sits 94 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Mud Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Survey and observation records for Morrison County include largemouth bass, bluegill, northern pike and black crappie. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Work Mud Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 69°F, the coldest about 9°F. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around mid April. The season between ice runs from about mid April to late November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. On Mud Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. The water borders Mud Lake Wildlife Management Area, Morrison County Unit, so reserve rules are likely to apply. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. For a change of water, Twin Lakes is 2.7 miles distant. Signs at Mud Lake carry more weight than any list.