Tamarack Lake Fishing in Stearns County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Look for Tamarack Lake in the Stearns County part of Minnesota. It lies 1,207 feet above sea level. The water measures roughly 9 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. On size it sits at the modest end of our Stearns County list. You are 7 miles from Melrose. Minneapolis is the closest city, 88 miles away. This one sits near enough to a boundary to be worth checking.

• Where to Fish on Tamarack Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Stearns County records list largemouth bass, bluegill and northern pike among the fish reported. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Take Tamarack Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 71°F in July and bottom out at 10°F in January. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from early April. Average temperatures cross freezing around early April in spring and again near late November in autumn. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. That shapes the year on Tamarack Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Mud Lake sits 1.7 miles off and takes the overflow. Rules at Tamarack Lake are worth checking on the day.