Ryan Lake Fishing in Anoka County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Ryan Lake lies within the bounds of Anoka County, Minnesota. It lies 883 feet above sea level. It covers about 18 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Our Anoka County list holds plenty of bigger water. Stacy is the closest place, 4 miles off. Then Wyoming, 5.3 miles, and Branch, 8.1 miles. Being near a boundary, it pays to know which side you are fishing.

• Where to Fish on Ryan Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Survey and observation records for Anoka County include bluegill, common carp and black crappie. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. The near bank of Ryan Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 71°F, with January the cold end at about 11°F. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Ice-out usually falls in early April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. In an average year the thaw lands around early April and the freeze near late November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. The season on Ryan Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. The nearest alternative is Mud Lake, 0.5 miles out. Treat access at Ryan Lake as something to verify.