Welcome to Minnesota
Lakes
Minnesota Fishing in
the Land of 10,000 Lakes!
Minnesota Lakes are famous
for Outstanding Walleye, Northern Pike, Muskie, and Bass
Fishing. Find detailed information on Minnesota
Fishing, Minnesota Fishing Resorts, Minnesota Fishing Guides,
Lake Maps, Boat Ramps, Fishing Lodges, Minnesota Fishing Reports
and More.
The State of Minnesota is home to over 10,000 Lakes, so
if you enjoy Fishing, Boating, and Water Sports, MN is an
excellent vacation destination. Minnesota is known for
great Walleye Fishing, Northern Pike Fishing, Muskie
Fishing, and Bass Fishing. With incredible Fishing
Lakes like:
Lake of the Woods,
Lake Vermilion,
Lake
Mille Lacs,
Leech Lake, and the
BWCA, you are sure to catch your
fishing limit on these and most Minnesota Lakes. Make
sure you spend some time at one of our many great
Minnesota
Resorts and
Minnesota Campgrounds, which are perfect for
both Fishing and Family vacations. There is also
beautiful
Minnesota Lake Property for sale throughout the
State, so you can find your dream Lake Home.
Click a County to Visit the Top Minnesota Fishing
Lakes
Minnesota Walleye Fishing
Tips
Walleye are the most sought-after fish in Minnesota
Lakes, especially when they are biting during the warm MN summer
months. Here are a few places to try for successful Walleye
fishing on Minnesota Lakes:
1. Weed Edges - Walleyes love the fringes of weed beds. They nestle
in the deep edges where cover is good, access to deeper water is close, and
baitfish are abundant. Back-troll slowly, right next to the weeds, with a
slip-sinker rig and weedless hook and leech, nightcrawler or fathead.
2. Weed Beds - Walleyes tend to like beds of cabbage and light coontail
because food - in the form of small perch and bluegills - abounds here.
Drift slowly, pulling a slip-bobber rig baited with a 3-4 inch sucker minnow set
to brush along the weed tops.
3. Lily Pad Margins - Lily pads often edge up to relatively deep water of
6-10 feet, and walleye will cruise these food-rich edges at any time of the day.
Use your trolling motor to inch along, vertically jigging minnow baits as you
go. Work right next to the pads and down any adjacent drop-off.
4. Deep Water - In deep Minnesota Lakes, walleyes tend to suspend in open
water over the main basin, hanging 25-30 feet down over much deeper water.
They hold here for comfortable temps and plenty of food. Cover water by
trolling with heavy gear and your deepest-diving cranks.
5. High Noon - This technique relates to timing more than location.
In dark or stained water, walleyes often feed at midday. Take this moment
to fish the standard drop-offs and humps as you would in the evening - with slip
sinker or slip bobber rigs.
6. Wind-Blown Shorelines - Strong breezes push baitfish
against wind-ward shores. Cast plugs and crankbaits, or
troll shallow- to medium-running minnowbaits parallel to the shore.
Vary your course, using an in-and-out or S pattern to find fish.
Largemouth Bass are found in most Minnesota Lakes and can be challenging to
catch. Here are a few tips for successful Largemouth Bass fishing
throughout the day on Minnesota Lakes:
Morning - Run your lure near any cover
adjacent to deep water, including submerged grass, windfalls, rocky points,
rocky banks, and boat docks. Retrieve the buzzbait just fast enough to
keep the blade sputtering at the surface.
Midday - Sunlight pushes shallow bass deep
into the shade under windfalls, docks, matted grass, and other cover. Pick
these spots apart with short, accurate flips and pitches. Take your time
and hit every dark spot from different angles. Bass in deeper waters move
tight to grass edges, stumps, brushpiles, and other underwater structure.
Nighttime -
Bass are on the prowl now, so slow-roll a
large black spinnerbait dressed with a small plastic chunk over submerged grass
and along grassline edges. If there is no grass on the lake, work the
spinnerbait over main-lake points by repeatedly ripping it 3 feet off the bottom
and letting it flutter down. You can easily fish to depths of 25 feet or
more. This tactic is especially good in clear, rock Minnesota Lakes.
Minnesota
Muskie Fishing
Muskies have to eat 4-5 times per day during the MN summer months because they burn
so much energy in the warm water. This gives anglers more chances to catch
them feeding. When your fishing for muskie in the summer, think speed.
Blow lures past fish.
Minnesota Lakes and Rivers contain many
crappie fishing hot spots. Here are a few places to try for successful
crappie fishing:
1. Points - An excellent spot year-round as points serve as pathways
for fish moving back and forth between shallow and deep water.
2. Shallow Ledges - Look for shallow ledges, cuts, shallow ditches,
and gullies often found near bankside bluffs or close to coves
and bays.
3. Beaver Lodges - Most big crappie will be on the outer edge
of the lodge where the sticks disappear into the deeper water.
4. Flooded Trees - When fishing rivers you will alway find crappie
holding around inundated and floating trees.
5. Humps - The best humps are 5-20 feet from the surface and have
substantial deep water around them. Humps with timber, brush,
rocks, or other cover are very productive.
Minnesota Walleye Fishing
The Walleye is without question the most sought after fish in
Minnesota Lakes. It's the eyes of the Walleye that help fit the
fish into its unique niche, and determine so much of how the fish
reacts. Their unusual construction allows Walleyes to see well
during low-light periods. Even though Walleyes can feed very effectively
in the dead of night or in the light of day, they feed most efficiently
at twilight, when prey is still active but their ability to see
is diminishing rapidly. The Walleye is often considered primarily
a "twilight feeder" in Minnesota Lakes. Minnesota Lakes
State Parks
Help Protect Minnesota
Lakes From The Spread Of Invasive Species
Minnesota Lakes
are being threatened by aquatic invasive species. It is
illegal to transport any aquatic plants, zebra mussels, or any
other prohibited invasive species.
