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Posts: 58
| Anyone have any insight on fishing French Lake near Fairbault right now? Looking to possibly get out this weekend but not sure where to go in the metro/south central area... |
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Posts: 422
Location: MN | Never fished it, but I know some who have. Here's my intel:
- smallish lake, 875 acres
- moderate density population, ~4 acres per adult
- medium size fish, ~41" avg, roughly 1/5 45+, some 50+
- very dirty water, wouldn't expect weeds beyond 4-5 ft
- not many other muskie lakes nearby, expect some pressure
- food: crappie, bluegill, drum, gold shiner, perch
Sources:
https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/lakefind/lake.html?id=66003800
https://www.navionics.com/usa/
From looking at the depth map, it looks like if there is weed cover anywhere, it is on shorelines. The mid lake structure looks deeper, like 10 ft. I would alternate between fishing shorelines and the mid lake bars. On the shoreline, you're working any cover including docks. Out on the midlake bars, look for concentrations of baitfish on the sonar and focus on those areas. Again - not based on experience, just general thoughts. Hopefully someone can chime in with more specific info. |
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Posts: 781
Location: Ames, Iowa | French is a lake better fished in the Fall. My only visit there resulted in a 41 caught trolling a large Slammer. I would try Cedar or Fox, which are nearby, and have muskies. Because of their better clarity, they'll be more fun to fish. |
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Posts: 41
Location: Rochester, MN | French gets very green with algae in June/July. Hard to fish on any structure as weeds grow to the surface. Pretty sure Cedar in Faribault does not have muskies. Fox in Sherburn is about 2 hours from Faribault. I hear there are good numbers on Fox. The few times I have been there the water has been pretty muddy. |
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Posts: 59
| Cedar definitely has Tigers in it. The lake is super shallow, murky and regularly fish kills so I'm surprised the DNR still stocks it. Heck, one year we got our boat stuck in the shallow muck, that was not a pleasant experience. Tons of small bluegills and crappies though if your into that.
Not sure about French, but just looking at it on the DNR Lakefinder it seems to be the best option for that part of the state. Just be careful with the water temps. It will likely be pushing past 80 soon. |
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