Fishing/picnic spots in MN

[~Wildflower~]

Hi.....does anyone know of any good fishing/picnic spots 2 hours or less from the twin cities?   We're thinking of going 3 hours down south, but something even closer would be better.  Obviously, we don't know of many spots besides the state parks.  Thanks in advance for your input.

[Renaissance]

No one is going to give you the location to their fishing hole....

[~Wildflower~]

I actually know of lots of places, but they're not "family friendly" LOL.  We have small kids going too & the spots I know has cliffs, requires hiking, etc.  I'm sure there are NO secret fishing holes left in MN LOL.

[Reporter]

William O'Brien State Park is known for family-friendly camping and fishing. You can even canoe down from Taylors Falls and camp at William O'Brien and yet fish both a river and a tiny lake. Kids love the sunnies under the lake dock and also catching crawfishes under the rocks. A small swimming area allows kids to be as wild but safe in the shallow water there.

The park is only about 40 minutes or so north of St. Paul.

[~Wildflower~]

We settled on Lake Side Park.  Never been there, but heard it's family friendly for fishing and picnic.