Minnesota · Stearns County
Lower Spunk Lake Fishing guide
Lower Spunk Lake sits in Stearns County, Minnesota, and covers 179 acres, reaching 27.5 ft at its deepest point. Average water clarity runs about 8.8 ft. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 8 times, most recently in 2023, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill in the nets.
DNR survey data
Fish species
Largemouth bassFair numbers34.3per hr (electrofishing)11"Typical20"Biggest
Lengths measured · 54 fish
Recent · 2023Lengths measured · 54 fish
2023Lengths measured · 54 fish
2016Lengths measured · 41 fish
2008Lengths measured · 16 fish
1998Northern pikeOne of the best around18per gill net19"Typical33"Biggest
Lengths measured · 94 fish
Recent · 2023Lengths measured · 94 fish
2023Lengths measured · 68 fish
2016Lengths measured · 76 fish
2008Lengths measured · 44 fish
1998BluegillFair numbers37.8per trap net6"Typical8"Biggest
Lengths measured · 441 fish
Recent · 2023Lengths measured · 441 fish
2023Lengths measured · 292 fish
2016Lengths measured · 504 fish
2008Lengths measured · 319 fish
1998CrappieJust a few2.2per trap net8"Typical10"Biggest
Lengths measured · 28 fish
Recent · 2023Lengths measured · 28 fish
2023Lengths measured · 12 fish
2016Lengths measured · 23 fish
2008Lengths measured · 20 fish
1998No recent survey rating.
Rates come from standard DNR survey gear (gill nets, trap nets, electrofishing), judged against statewide benchmarks for the same gear, so the same number of fish per net can read differently for two species. Where the standard gear can't count a species reliably, only presence and size are listed. Typical is the middle fish of those measured. Open a row for the full length spread, survey by survey.
How to fish Lower Spunk Lake through the year
Northern pike
- Spring
- Pike are in the shallow bays and along new weed growth.
- Early summer
- Pike are on the outside weed edge and points.
- Summer
- Pike are on the deep weed edge and points near the coolest water they can find. With 72% of this lake 15 ft or shallower, the weed edge is the main event.
- Fall
- Pike are on the last green weeds and the breaks beside them, feeding heavily as the water drops.
Largemouth bass
- Spring
- Largemouth are moving up into the warming bays and flats, staging around wood, docks and new weeds to spawn.
- Early summer
- Largemouth are on the shallow spawning flats and protected bays, where beds go on firm bottom next to isolated cover.
- Summer
- Largemouth are in and along the weeds: cabbage and milfoil edges, matted cover and shade. With 72% of this lake 15 ft or shallower, the weed edge is the main event.
- Fall
- Largemouth are chasing bait back onto the flats and into the remaining green weeds, feeding hard and shallow before the freeze.
Season patterns for each species. Open the live map for today's wind, light and water temp.
Size history
Biggest fish by survey year
| Survey year | Northern pike | Largemouth bass | Walleye |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 33" | 20" | 25" |
| 2016 | 30" | 18" | 17" |
| 2008 | 34" | 16" | — |
| 1998 | 23" | 16" | 26" |
Longest fish measured by DNR survey crews in each year's nets. Survey gear samples the population, so the lake usually holds larger fish than any survey measured.
Suggested tackle
What to bring
Top presentations for this lake's structure and clarity:
Northern pike · Soft plastics
Paddletail Swimbait on Jighead
4–5" paddletail swimbait on a ball-head swimbait jighead
Northern pike · Muskie & pike
Soft Rubber (Bull Dawg / Medusa)
10" soft rubber body bait
Largemouth bass · Soft plastics
Texas-Rigged Worm
7" ribbon-tail or straight-tail plastic worm
Largemouth bass · Soft plastics
Free Rig
Creature bait or magnum finesse worm
Walleye · Trolling
Snap Weights + Stickbaits
4–5" suspending or slow-floating stickbait
Full setups, including hooks, weights and line, are on the live map. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
MN DNR · in their words
From the 2023 survey
Lower Spunk Lake is a 280-acre lake located partly within the city limits of Avon in north central Stearns County. There is a public access located on the south side of the lake with room for eight vehicle/trailers. The water quality of Lower Spunk Lake is generally very good with a 10-year average Secchi reading of 10 feet although adequate dissolved oxygen was only present to a depth of 14 feet during the second week of June. The lake has a large watershed (19,288 acres) that is primarily made up of forest and agriculture. The lake is managed for Largemouth Bass and Northern Pike. No Walleye stocking takes place due to the high pike numbers as well as the lack of Yellow Perch as forage. However, the Avon Lakes Association has stocked Walleye in the past (most recently in 2007). A standard lake survey was conducted in 2023 to monitor changes in the fishery from the last survey completed in 2016.
As expected, there was a low catch of Walleye and only two were captured during the survey. These fish ranged in length from 17 to 25 inches.
Read the full DNR narrative
The catch of Northern Pike was higher than previous surveys and exceeded the range of what we would expect to see for the lake class. Northern Pike ranged in length from nine to 33 inches with an average length of 21 inches. Eighteen percent of the pike sampled were longer than 26 inches and 6% were longer than 30 inches.
Anglers are encouraged to harvest the smaller Northern Pike (under 22 inches) and release the larger ones to help achieve a more balanced fish community and to help increase growth rates. Lower pike numbers may also increase Yellow Perch survival and allow their numbers, which continue to be low, to increase. Higher perch populations are desirable as they can be important prey species for Northern Pike. Unfortunately, only one Yellow Perch was sampled during the survey which was similar to the past three surveys.
Largemouth Bass were sampled by daytime electrofishing in May. Forty-eight bass were collected in 1.4 hrs of on-time for a catch rate of 34/hour. This was below the average daytime catch rate (52/hour) for Sauk Rapids area lakes but above the rate observed in 2016 (20/hour). Largemouth Bass ranged from six to 20 inches and averaged 12 inches.
The catch of Bluegill was similar to the long-term average and fish sampled ranged in length from three to nine inches with an average length of six inches. Hybrid sunfish were also sampled and although low in abundance, fish up to eight inches were captured. Anglers can expect good Bluegill fishing with some larger individuals mixed in.
Like previous surveys, Black Crappies were hard to find in Lower Spunk Lake and anglers can expect to do some searching for them. Black Crappie ranged in length from five to 11 inches with a mean length of nine inches.
Other species sampled during the 2023 survey included: Black Bullhead, Bowfin, Green Sunfish, Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, White Sucker and Yellow Bullhead.
Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.
Recent reports
Lower Spunk Lake fishing reports
Recent reports on Lower Spunk Lake from guides, tournaments and regular anglers. Anything posted in the last two weeks also bumps the matching spots on the live map, so you'll see a "matches a recent report" tag on them.
Public water access
Getting on the water
- Lower Spunk Lake (trailer launch)
DNR bathymetry
Lower Spunk Lake depth map
Within 30 miles
Nearby lakes
- Ochotto Lake · 40 ac · 0.7 mi
- Middle Spunk Lake · 236 ac · 0.7 mi
- Linneman Lake · 110 ac · 1.5 mi
- Big Spunk Lake · 415 ac · 1.9 mi
- Pelican Lake · 291 ac · 2.8 mi
- Kreigle Lake · 102 ac · 2.9 mi
- Achman Lake · 47 ac · 3 mi
- Pine Lake · 108 ac · 3.3 mi
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How deep is Lower Spunk Lake?
Lower Spunk Lake reaches 27.5 ft at its deepest point with a mean depth of 5.1 ft; about 72% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).
How big is Lower Spunk Lake?
Lower Spunk Lake covers 179 acres with about 3.8 miles of shoreline.
How clear is the water in Lower Spunk Lake?
DNR Secchi readings on Lower Spunk Lake average 8.8 ft of visibility, middling clarity for a Minnesota lake.
What fish are in Lower Spunk Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2023) record walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, rock bass.
Is Lower Spunk Lake stocked?
No stocking is on record for Lower Spunk Lake in the DNR's stocking database.
Does Lower Spunk Lake have a public access?
Yes. Lower Spunk Lake has one public access site: Lower Spunk Lake (trailer launch).
How big do northern pike get in Lower Spunk Lake?
The biggest northern pike measured in recent DNR surveys taped 33"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 1998.
When was Lower Spunk Lake last surveyed?
The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Lower Spunk Lake in 2023, the most recent of 8 surveys on record.
Page updated .
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