Snelling Lake, Minnesota: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Snelling Lake is one of the Dakota County waters in Minnesota. It sits at 689 feet above sea level. The bank runs about 1.8 miles all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. It lies lower than most water we list in Minnesota. The closest town, Mendota Heights, is 2.4 miles away. Saint Paul sits 6.2 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The county line runs close by, so rules can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Snelling Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Survey and observation records for Dakota County include bluegill, common carp, green sunfish and black crappie. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. At Snelling Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 73°F in July and bottom out at 13°F in January. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. Once it clears, about early April, the fishing comes on quickly. Climate figures give an open season running early April to early December. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. The season on Snelling Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. A parking area is marked roughly half a mile out. Mapping shows a jetty some half a mile off. A marked angling spot sits within half a mile. A toilet block sits half a mile away. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Should this one be busy, Augusta Lake is 1.4 miles off. Treat access at Snelling Lake as something to verify.