Tamarack Lake Fishing near New London, Minnesota

• Overview

  Tamarack Lake stands in Stearns County, Minnesota. The water sits 1,260 feet up. This is sizeable water at about 277 acres, and a boat opens up most of it. The perimeter runs near 3.5 miles, so plan the walk before you start. Size puts it in the front rank of our Stearns County list. New London is the closest town at 13 miles. The big place round here is Minneapolis, 95 miles distant. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Tamarack Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Open biodiversity records for Stearns County list largemouth bass, bluegill, northern pike and walleye. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. The shape of Tamarack Lake decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 71°F; by January the average is down near 10°F. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around early April. Averages place the thaw at early April and the freeze at late November. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. That is the shape of the year on Tamarack Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. If the gate is shut, Fish Lake at 3 miles is the nearest alternative. Rules at Tamarack Lake are worth checking on the day.