Patchen Lake near Morris: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Patchen Lake stands in Grant County, Minnesota. The ground around here is mixed forest. Roughly 254 acres of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. The edge runs 2.6 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. It is among the larger waters listed here for Grant County. Head to Morris, 13 miles away, for anything you forgot. Elbow Lake follows at 16 miles, then Starbuck at 21 miles. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Patchen Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Grant County records list common carp, largemouth bass and walleye among the fish reported. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Fish Patchen Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 71°F in July and bottom out at 9°F in January. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Look for the thaw near mid April; the fishing lifts straight after. Averages suggest open water from about mid April through to roughly late November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. It holds true on Patchen Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Failing this one, try Shauer Lake, 1.1 miles away. Nothing here settles the position at Patchen Lake for certain.