Fishing at Swan Lake, Grant County, Minnesota

• Overview

  The Grant County entry here is Swan Lake, in Minnesota. Elevation runs to 1,168 feet. It covers about 25 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Most waters listed here for Grant County are larger. For supplies, Elbow Lake is 6.5 miles out. The nearest city of size is Fargo, 79 miles away. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Swan Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Public occurrence data for Grant County names common carp, largemouth bass, walleye, bluegill and yellow perch. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. On Swan Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 71°F in July and bottoms out near 9°F in January. Hard water is a season in its own right here. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough mid April. Climate figures give an open season running mid April to late November. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. The season on Swan Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. If the gate is shut, Cormorant Lake at 1.3 miles is the nearest alternative. Check the position on Swan Lake before loading the car.