Fishing at Mud Lake, Stearns County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Mud Lake lies in Stearns County, in Minnesota. The surface lies 1,099 feet up. It runs to roughly 67 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. With about 1.2 miles of edge, you can try several depths in one session. 3.3 miles away sits Rockville, the nearest town. Further out sit Cold Spring (4.8 miles) and Saint Augusta (7.3 miles). It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Mud Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Across Stearns County, recorded fish include largemouth bass, bluegill, northern pike and walleye. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Read Mud Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 71°F in July and bottom out at 10°F in January. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough early April. Ice clears near early April and comes back about late November in a typical year. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. Plan any trip to Mud Lake around it.

• 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. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Grand Lake, 0.9 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Nothing on Mud Lake should be assumed from this page alone.