Schwinghamer Lake Fishing Guide, Stearns County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Schwinghamer Lake is a Stearns County water, in Minnesota. It stands 1,132 feet above sea level. It covers about 15 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. On size it sits at the modest end of our Stearns County list. Albany lies 2.1 miles from the water. Then Avon, 3.9 miles, and Collegeville, 8.3 miles. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Schwinghamer Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Survey and observation records for Stearns County include largemouth bass, bluegill, northern pike, walleye and black crappie. The county list is broader than any single water. Schwinghamer Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 71°F at the top of summer and 10°F at the bottom of winter. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from early April. The season between ice runs from about early April to late November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. The season on Schwinghamer Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Englemeier Lake, 0.7 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Rules at Schwinghamer Lake are worth checking on the day.