Sometimes, the best way to relax after a tough work week is to cast a line into a peaceful body of water. You’ll find several well-stocked, picturesque fishing spots in and around Rochester, Minnesota. If you’re an angler, here are some of the best places in the area for you to visit:
Silver Lake
Cackling and Canada Goose by Derek Bakken is licensed with CC BY 2.0
Silver Lake is part of Silver Lake Park, and it has picturesque lakefront views and plenty of fish. It’s handicap accessible, and public restrooms are available. It’s an excellent place for your family to enjoy a fishing excursion and a picnic in one of its several large picnic shelters. It’s one of many public parks in the area, and it has a swimming beach, a playground, a skating area, hiking trails, and a boat landing. You can rent boats and go canoeing or kayaking.
Silver Lake covers 50 acres and has a maximum depth of 11 feet. The south fork of the Zumbro River flows into the lake, keeping it very well stocked with fish. Large populations of Canada geese and other waterfowl live on the lake. In winter, the lake is often ice-free. The same catch limits apply as in other areas of Rochester. However, hunting isn’t allowed, and anyone caught illegally hunting must pay a $1,000 fine.
Location: Broadway Avenue north of Civic Center Drive.
Hours: Open 24 hours a day.
Bear Creek Reservoir
Bear Creek Reservoir is about 30 minutes away from Rochester in Sumner Township. It’s one of the most well-known, well-stocked bodies of water in the area, covering 114 acres. The reservoir’s maximum depth is 27 feet, and it’s handicap accessible. You can catch bluegill, channel catfish, black crappie, and largemouth bass at this reservoir. There are several fishing piers and fly-fishing wading points. There’s also a large boat launch area.
You’ll need an inexpensive pass for Chester Woods Park to fish legally at the reservoir. You can catch and keep one largemouth or smallmouth bass, one northern pike, three trout, and up to ten sunfish, yellow perch, or crappie combined, with no more than five crappies. Along with fishing, you can go swimming and camping.
Location: Highway 14 between Eyota and Chester in Chester Woods County Park.
Hours: Open 24 hours a day.
Silver Creek Reservoir
The Silver Creek Reservoir is a round body of water with Silver Creek at either end. It covers 107 acres and has a maximum depth of 16 feet. It’s handicap accessible and has black crappie, yellow perch, largemouth bass, northern pike, and bluegill. The maximum catch levels for most types of fish are the same as in Bear Creek Reservoir, but you can only catch one northern pike. There’s a large parking area and a paved path to the water. You can also enjoy ice fishing in the winter.
The reservoir’s open hours change regularly depending on the season. While there are no piers, you’ll find plenty of spots for wading or fishing from the shore.
Location: 1800 55th Ave. NE (near County Highway 11).
Hours: 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
Kalmar Reservoir
Kalmar Reservoir is named after a Scandinavian multinational union. It covers 20 acres and has a maximum depth of 8 feet. It’s not handicap accessible, but it’s an ideal place for you to teach your kids how to fish. The water is easy to wade into, and you’ll find bluegill, black crappie, and largemouth bass.
There’s plenty of fish, but most are small. The catch limits are usually the same as for the previous two reservoirs. However, limits are sometimes reduced to keep fish populations from dropping too low. During the hottest parts of summer and the coldest parts of winter, the reservoir may be closed to fishing to avoid population collapse.
Location: 6317 19th St. NW.
Hours: Open 24 hours a day.
Gamehaven Lake
Gamehaven Lake has an ironic name, as it’s more of a haven for fish than game. It covers 43 acres and has a maximum depth of 24 feet. It’s part of the Gamehaven Scout Ranch and an ideal destination for any scouts in your family. However, it’s not handicap accessible.
Although Gamehaven lake is natural, it has the same catch limits as the artificially created bodies of water mentioned previously. You can fish for bluegill, black crappie, largemouth bass, yellow perch, northern pike, channel catfish, smallmouth bass, trout, or sunfish. Bluegill and largemouth bass are especially numerous. You’ll find a parking area near 45th Street. Along with fishing, the lake and ranch offer mountain biking, disc golf, archery, birdwatching, hiking trails, and cross-country skiing.
Location: 45th St. SE off Simpson Road SE or St. Bridget’s Road SE.
Hours: Open 24 hours a day.
Quarry Hill Nature Center Pond
Quarry Hill Pond is part of the Quarry Hill Nature Center. It’s the smallest body of water on this fishing list, covering two acres. It has a maximum depth of 9 feet, and it’s handicap accessible. It has several fishing piers, a natural education facility, public restrooms, hiking trails, and picnic shelters. It’s an ideal spot to teach your kids about fishing and other aspects of the natural world. There are many small wading areas for your kids to enjoy.
The same catch limits are in place here as in other fishing spots near Rochester. However, catches may sometimes be restricted more to help keep fish population levels high. At the Nature Center, you’ll find an educational display about each fish species in Quarry Hill Pond. You’ll also see live animals, an aquarium, and more.
Location: 701 Silver Creek Road NE.
Hours: The pond is open every day from dawn to dusk. You can visit the Nature Center from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday.
These are just some of the excellent places for fishing near Rochester. Did we miss any of your favorite spots? Contact us and let us know where you most like to fish.
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