Public shore fishing spots in Stearns County, Minnesota
DNR records list 13 public shore fishing spots in Stearns County: 12 fishing piers and 1 shore or bank fishing site. Check current access before visiting.
| Spot | Water | Maintained by | Getting there |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi River Shore Fishing Site | Water: | Maintained by: City of St. Cloud | Getting there: In St Cloud, on the W bank of the river below the 10th St Dam and adjacent to St Cloud State University From Hwy 23, go S on 5th Ave, S to 8th St S, then E 4 blks to 1st Av, then S 3 blocks to pier. |
|
Sauk River (Mill Pond) Fishing Pier
Accessible |
Water: River or reservoir | Maintained by: City of Melrose | Getting there: Located in the City of Melrose. From the I-94 exit, take 2nd Ave. north 0.50mi to Main Street. Turn right and travel 0.20mi to county road 13 and turn left. Pier is located 0.10mi. to the left. |
| Sauk River Park Shore Fishing Site | Water: River or reservoir | Maintained by: City of Melrose | Getting there: No directions published |
| Big Birch Lake Fishing Pier | Water: Big Birch | Maintained by: DNR Division of Parks and Trails | Getting there: In the State Forest Campground, from Melrose go N. on Co. Rd. 13 3 mi to Co Rd 17, then E 1 mi to Birch Lake Rd, go N. 1.5 mi to State Forest Campground entrance. |
| Black Oak Lake Fishing Pier | Water: Black Oak | Maintained by: Stearns County | Getting there: At Black Oak Lake Public Water Access, 33578 Co. Rd. 30, Melrose MN |
| Kings Lake Fishing Pier | Water: Kings | Maintained by: DNR Division of Parks and Trails | Getting there: At the Kings Lake Public Water Access site, 1.5 miles NW of Freeport, off Stearns Co. Rd. 167. |
| Sauk River Fishing Pier | Water: Knaus | Maintained by: City of Cold Spring | Getting there: In Cold Spring's Lion's Park, S of Hwy 23 Bridge, pier on W bank of river. |
| Lake Koronis, Veterans Park Fishing Pier | Water: Koronis (main lake) | Maintained by: City of Paynesville | Getting there: From Paynesville, S on Hwy 55 1 mile, then S. on Co Rd 124, turn W on Lake Koronis Road parking on east side of road. |
| Long Lake Fishing Pier | Water: Long | Maintained by: DNR Division of Parks and Trails | Getting there: South of St. Rosa, 1.5 miles of Co Road 167 at the boat access. |
| Middle Spunk Lake Fishing Pier | Water: Middle Spunk | Maintained by: City of Avon | Getting there: In Avon, at the W end of First Street SW, pier on E shore. |
| Big Sauk Lake Fishing Pier | Water: Sauk | Maintained by: City of Sauk Centre | Getting there: In Sauk Center's Sinclair Lewis Park, take Hwy 71 to the S shore of lake. |
| Sylvia Fishing Pier | Water: Sylvia | Maintained by: Stearns County, Parks Department | Getting there: N of Melrose in Lake Sylvia County Park, take Co 13 N 3 mi to Co 17, go E about 1 mi, pier on S shore. |
| Warner Lake Fishing Pier | Water: Warner | Maintained by: Stearns County, Parks Department | Getting there: In Warner Lake County Park., from St. Cloud take Co Rd 75 S to Co Rd 143, go E to park. |
What to bring
Every spot above is bank fishing, which is what this site is about. The Shore Setup Selector asks four questions about the water in front of you and returns one rig, and the one setup to start with covers what to buy first. If the spot is a pier over deeper water, when to add a bullet weight is the one to read before you go.
Before you drive
DNR lists these public fishing sites; the managing organization is shown in each row. A map pin identifies a recorded site, not a guarantee of current access or a report that bass are there. Check with the manager before traveling.
A spot marked "Not recorded as accessible" has a false ADA-accessibility flag in DNR's data. A spot with no note has an unspecified flag; that does not tell us whether anyone assessed accessibility. Confirm current facilities with the manager.
Lake and access data on this page comes from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Public Fishing Sites in Minnesota. MN DNR contributed the data and does not endorse this site. We publish it under DNR's general data licence, which requires this credit and forbids reselling the data, so there is no download here. Check the DNR record before you drive: access, fees, and regulations change, and DNR's copy is the current one.