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Freshwater fishing near Mankato
Mankato, MNBuilt from our data

Freshwater fishing near Mankato

10 stops10 watersUpdated Nov 6

10 freshwater spots within 75 minutes of Mankato, each with a full TripsQuick page.

The closest by road is Lake Crystal, 15 minutes away.

Lakes near Mankato

1. Madison Lake

Madison Lake is a 17-minute drive from downtown Mankato. Launch at Madison Lake (NW) Public Water Access Site, the public ramp on Madison Lake closest to downtown (≈ 9.4 mi). Public access on Madison Lake: 3 boat ramps. Surveyed depths reach 50 ft. Recorded here: Common Carp, Bigmouth Buffalo, Black Bullhead, and Black Crappie.

Madison Lake117 min · 12.6 mi
Lake

Madison Lake

Blue Earth

Madison Lake (NW) Public Water Access Site19

max 50 ft · surveyed

Water page

2. Lake Washington

Lake Washington is a 19-minute drive from downtown Mankato. Launch at Washington Lake (W) Public Water Access Site, the public ramp on Lake Washington closest to downtown (≈ 8.3 mi). Public access on Lake Washington: 2 boat ramps. Surveyed depths reach 40 ft. Recorded here: Common Carp, Bluegill, Yellow Perch, and Bigmouth Buffalo.

Lake Washington219 min · 10.6 mi
Lake

Lake Washington

Le Sueur

Washington Lake (W) Public Water Access Site17

max 40 ft · surveyed

Water page

3. Lake Crystal

Lake Crystal is a 15-minute drive from downtown Mankato. Launch at Crystal Lake Public Water Access Site, the public ramp on Lake Crystal closest to downtown (≈ 11.1 mi). Public access on Lake Crystal: 1 boat ramp. Surveyed depths reach 10 ft. Recorded here: Common Carp, Black Bullhead, Bigmouth Buffalo, and Black Crappie.

Lake Crystal315 min · 12.6 mi
Lake

Lake Crystal

Blue Earth

Crystal Lake Public Water Access Site11

max 10 ft · surveyed

Water page

4. Loon Lake

Loon Lake is a 18-minute drive from downtown Mankato. Launch at Loon Lake Public Water Access Site, the public ramp on Loon Lake closest to downtown (≈ 10.2 mi). Public access on Loon Lake: 1 boat ramp. Surveyed depths reach 5 ft. Recorded here: Common Carp, Bigmouth Buffalo, Black Bullhead, and Black Crappie.

Loon Lake418 min · 13.1 mi
Lake

Loon Lake

Blue Earth

Loon Lake Public Water Access Site12

max 5 ft · surveyed

Water page

5. Lake Francis

Lake Francis is a 24-minute drive from downtown Mankato. Launch at Frances Lake (W) Public Water Access Site, the public ramp on Lake Francis closest to downtown (≈ 14.1 mi). Public access on Lake Francis: 2 boat ramps. Surveyed depths reach 60 ft. Recorded here: Common Carp, Black Bullhead, Black Crappie, and Bluegill.

Lake Francis524 min · 18.5 mi
Lake

Lake Francis

Le Sueur

Frances Lake (W) Public Water Access Site15

max 60 ft · surveyed

Water page

6. Lura Lake

Lura Lake is a 33-minute drive from downtown Mankato. Launch at Lura Lake (NW) Public Water Access Site, the public ramp on Lura Lake closest to downtown (≈ 19.6 mi). Public access on Lura Lake: 4 boat ramps. Surveyed depths reach 5 ft. Recorded here: Common Carp, Largemouth Bass, Yellow Perch, and Black Bullhead.

Lura Lake733 min · 24 mi
Lake

Lura Lake

Blue Earth

Lura Lake (NW) Public Water Access Site12

max 5 ft · surveyed

Water page

7. Lake Emily

Lake Emily is a 21-minute drive from downtown Mankato. Launch at Emily Lake Public Water Access Site, the public ramp on Lake Emily closest to downtown (≈ 10.5 mi). Public access on Lake Emily: 1 boat ramp. Surveyed depths reach 35 ft. Recorded here: Common Carp, Bigmouth Buffalo, Black Crappie, and Bluegill.

Lake Emily821 min · 12.8 mi
Lake

Lake Emily

Le Sueur

Emily Lake Public Water Access Site13

max 35 ft · surveyed

Water page

8. Ballantyne Lake

Ballantyne Lake is a 23-minute drive from downtown Mankato. Launch at Ballantyne Lake Public Water Access Site, the public ramp on Ballantyne Lake closest to downtown (≈ 9.2 mi). Public access on Ballantyne Lake: 1 boat ramp. Surveyed depths reach 50 ft. Recorded here: Common Carp, Bluegill, Bigmouth Buffalo, and Black Bullhead.

Ballantyne Lake923 min · 11.5 mi
Lake

Ballantyne Lake

Blue Earth

Ballantyne Lake Public Water Access Site15

max 50 ft · surveyed

Water page

9. German Lake

German Lake is a 36-minute drive from downtown Mankato. Launch at Jefferson Lake (E) Public Water Access Site, the public ramp on German Lake closest to downtown (≈ 15 mi). Public access on German Lake: 2 boat ramps. Surveyed depths reach 50 ft. Recorded here: Common Carp, Bigmouth Buffalo, Black Bullhead, and Black Crappie.

German Lake1036 min · 19.1 mi
Lake

German Lake

Le Sueur

Jefferson Lake (E) Public Water Access Site18

max 50 ft · surveyed

Water page

Reservoirs near Mankato

10. Elysian Lake

Elysian Lake is a 27-minute drive from downtown Mankato. Launch at Elysian Lake (S) Public Water Access Site, the public ramp on Elysian Lake closest to downtown (≈ 14.6 mi). Public access on Elysian Lake: 2 boat ramps. Surveyed depths reach 10 ft. Recorded here: Common Carp, Bigmouth Buffalo, Black Bullhead, and Black Crappie.

Elysian Lake627 min · 21.3 mi
Reservoir

Elysian Lake

Waseca

Elysian Lake (S) Public Water Access Site14

max 10 ft · surveyed

Water page

When the fish bite here

By our bite calendar, November is a slow month around Mankato for the fish recorded at these stops — the bars on each card show when each one picks up.

0stops

More fishing guides near Mankato

Where this guide comes from

Every sentence here is assembled from the data on the Mankato fishing page: road drive times where a route was built (≈ marks straight-line distances), access points from state registries, the species recorded in each water and our bite calendar, adjusted for latitude. Nothing is written by hand or generated by AI.

All fishing spots near Mankato →

Know the water and the fish before you drive out.

Depth surveys, stocking records and water samples, straight from the public registries that hold them — brought together for one question: is it worth the drive?

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