Sullivan Lake in Anoka County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Sullivan Lake stands in Anoka County, Minnesota. The surroundings are lake country bush. Surface area runs to about 12 acres — small enough to read in one session. It is a small entry by Anoka County standards. Columbia Heights sits 1.6 miles from here and is the nearest stop. Minneapolis is the closest city, 5.6 miles away. The boundary is near enough that local access rules are worth double-checking.

• Where to Fish on Sullivan Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. 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. Survey and observation records for Anoka County include bluegill, common carp and black crappie. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Fish Sullivan Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 73°F and January at 13°F. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about early April. Expect the water usable from around early April until roughly early December. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Plan any trip to Sullivan Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. Parking within half a mile means no long carry with tackle. Toilets show in mapping about half a mile away. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Failing this one, try Moore Lake, 1 mile away. Treat Sullivan Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.