Pelican Lake Fishing near Avon, Minnesota

• Overview

  This water sits in Stearns County, Minnesota. Rolling bush runs right down to the water. Roughly 329 acres of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. Roughly 2.4 miles of bank means you can walk to a fresh area when one goes quiet. On our Stearns County list it sits near the top for size. Nearest place of any size is Avon, 3.5 miles away. Albany is 4.4 miles away, with Collegeville at 7.2 miles. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Pelican Lake

  Measured depth reaches about 46 feet at the deepest point. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Records held for Stearns County cover largemouth bass, bluegill and northern pike. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. On Pelican Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 71°F and January near 10°F. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around early April. Averages suggest open water from about early April through to roughly late November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. The season on Pelican Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Little Mud Lake at 0.7 miles is the sensible second choice. Treat Pelican Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.