Wood Lake near Richfield: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Wood Lake is one of the Hennepin County waters in Minnesota. The surface lies 797 feet up. It runs to roughly 55 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. With about 1.1 miles of edge, you can try several depths in one session. By elevation it sits in the lower part of our Minnesota listings. Richfield lies 0.7 miles from the water. Minneapolis is the closest city, 7.5 miles away. Being near a boundary, it pays to know which side you are fishing.

• Where to Fish on Wood Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Fish documented in Hennepin County include bluegill, common carp, largemouth bass and pumpkinseed. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Fish Wood Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 13°F in January to roughly 73°F in July. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near early April. Climate figures give an open season running early April to early December. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. The season on Wood Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. A carry of half a mile from the nearest parking is the price of fishing here. A pier or jetty stands half a mile away, which helps on a crowded bank. There is a toilet block some half a mile out. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. The nearest alternative is Diamond Lake, 2.1 miles out. Confirm access to Wood Lake locally before you travel.