Wollan Lake Fishing in Pope County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Wollan Lake sits in Pope County, out in Minnesota. The land about it is mixed forest. At about 110 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. The whole outline is near 2.1 miles, and most of it is walkable. The closest town, Starbuck, is 2.4 miles away. Fargo sits 104 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Wollan Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Records held for Pope County cover largemouth bass, common carp, northern pike, yellow perch and black crappie. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Wollan Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 71°F; the cold one sits at 10°F. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around early April. In an average year the thaw lands around early April and the freeze near late November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. On Wollan Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Strandness Lake sits 1.6 miles off and takes the overflow. Signs at Wollan Lake carry more weight than any list.