Ryan Lake Fishing near Glencoe, Minnesota

• Overview

  You will find Ryan Lake in McLeod County, Minnesota. Around the bank it is lake country bush. It measures about 34 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. A shoreline of some 1.3 miles keeps the choices simple. It is one of the smaller waters we list in McLeod County. Glencoe at 6 miles is the nearest place to stop. It is 52 miles to Minneapolis, the nearest city. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Ryan Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Records held for McLeod County cover largemouth bass, common carp and walleye. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. At Ryan Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 11°F and July at about 72°F, the water has a wide range to work through. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about early April. Ice clears near early April and comes back about late November in a typical year. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. It holds true on Ryan Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Clear Lake, 1.1 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. For Ryan Lake in particular, ask before you travel.