Fishing at Williams Lake, Crow Wing County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Williams Lake sits within Crow Wing County in Minnesota. Height above sea level is 1,286 feet. It measures about 45 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. The bank runs about 1.0 miles all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. Vineland is the closest place, 11 miles off. It is 95 miles to Minneapolis, the nearest city. The county edge is within a short distance of the bank.

• Where to Fish on Williams Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Fish documented in Crow Wing County include largemouth bass, bluegill, yellow perch, northern pike and pumpkinseed. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. At Williams Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 8°F in January to roughly 69°F in July. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Count the season from break-up, usually 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. On Williams Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. There is a slipway on the shore, half a mile from the water we list. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Hogsback Lakes at 1.5 miles is the sensible second choice. Nothing here settles the position at Williams Lake for certain.