Explore Minnesota Travel Guide - 2025 Explore Minnesota Travel Guide

Where to Go Fishing

Lisa Meyers McClintick 2025-01-02 10:50:02

GREAT OUTDOORS

LAKE FISHING

Top Lakes for Fishing in Minnesota

There’s no shortage of fishing options in Minnesota. Here are some of the best lake and river spots in every region.

NORTHERN MINNESOTA

Visitors to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) canoe to secluded campsites and fish for trophy walleye, northern pike and smallmouth bass and, in early spring, lake trout. Rainy, Kabetogama, Namakan, Crane and Sand Point lakes in Voyageurs National Park serve up walleyes, northerns, smallmouth bass and big crappies.

Along the Iron Range, clear spring water lakes such as Lake Ore-be-Gone hold trout and big pike. Birch Lake also has a variety of species, and island-studded Lake Vermilion features big muskies, perch, walleye and bluegills. Trout Lake and Lake Wabana in the Chippewa National Forest are great spots for walleyes, pike and bass. Lake Superior, with charter fishing trips available from Duluth and other towns, holds native lake trout and stocked steelhead, chinook and coho salmon.

Lake of the Woods, Leech Lake, Lake Winnibigoshish and Upper Red Lake draw anglers for big northern pike and walleye.

There’s excellent fishing on Lake of the Woods among the sheltered islands off the Northwest Angle. Leech Lake is fabled for its muskie “rampage” on a few midsummer days; Cass Lake is also a top producer. Lake Winnibigoshish, a reservoir with 140 miles of mostly undeveloped shoreline, holds walleye, northerns, muskies and perch.

CENTRAL MINNESOTA

Good fishing lakes in the Brainerd Lakes area are Gull, Pelican, Whitefish, North Long and Round. Cuyuna Iron Range’s spring water lakes harbor trout, monster pike and smallmouth bass. And Mille Lacs Lake offers great fishing for smallmouth bass, muskies, walleyes, perch and northern pike.

In the Aitkin-McGregor area, smaller lakes, including Big Sandy, Round and Minnewawa, are popular spots for walleyes, pike, largemouth bass and panfish. Cedar Lake is known for muskies.

Rice, Koronis, Clearwater, Cedar, Sylvia and Pleasant are popular lakes, as are Big Kandiyohi and Green Lake, which are good for walleyes, northern pike, bass and panfish.

Otter Tail County has more than 1,000 lakes, including well-known Otter Tail and Clitherall. West Battle Lake is a muskie hotspot.

SOUTHERN MINNESOTA

Many of the large lakes in the rolling farmland of the south are stocked with walleyes. Most also have northern pike, largemouth bass and panfish. Some offer up channel cats, and nearly every lake and pond has bullheads. In the rural landscape between Mankato and Faribault try Tetonka, Madison, Washington, Mazaska, Shields and Roberds. The best prairie lakes include Benton, Shaokotan, Okabena, Lake Hanska, Budd, Sisseton, Hall and Albert Lea Lake.

MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL AREA

Smallmouth bass, walleyes and catfish swim in the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul. Angling for walleye and sauger is popular on the St. Croix River in the eastern part of the metro area. And the Minnesota River south of Minneapolis-St. Paul is another good bet. In the area’s lakes – Minnetonka and Waconia, for instance – you can catch muskies, walleye and largemouth bass over five pounds.

About 30 lakes within the metro area are stocked with pure-strain muskies or hybrid tiger muskies. Among the best are White Bear,  and Independence. Popular lakes with walleyes, northern pike, bass and panfish like Green, Chisago, North Center and South Lindstrom Lake can be found in Chisago County, at the northeast edge of Minneapolis-St. Paul.

5 Things to Know About Ice Fishing

Never tried ice fishing? Don’t let the winter weather or the array of gear intimidate you.

1.You Can Hire an Expert – Minnesota has hundreds of fishing guides who can take you to the best lakes, give you pointers and even cook your catch. Most resort or guide services provide the gear and other essentials.

2.Layer Up Wisely – Dress in layers, including a base layer, warm fleece and a shell that can block the wind. Consider pocketing a few air-activated hand and foot warmers.

3.You Can Ice Fish in a Heated Fish House – Sit comfortably on the edge of a bunk inside your heated fish house, sipping schnapps and playing cards with your fishing buddies.

4.You Can Sleep on the Lake, Too – With modern amenities, renting an ice house with family or friends can be as homey as a warm, well-appointed cabin – that just happens to have strategic holes in the floor.

5.MN Residents Can Try Ice Fishing for Free – Every January, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources hosts Take a Kid Ice Fishing weekend, when residents can fish without a license when accompanied by a child age 15 or under. Visit the DNR website for details.

Get more tips, including a list of essentials to bring, and find great places to ice fish at exploreminnesota.com/article/ice-fishing-minnesota

RIVER FISHING

Popular Fishing Rivers & Streams in Minnesota

By Lisa Meyers McClintick

Minnesota boasts more than 6,500 natural rivers and streams.

Anglers in boats, canoes, fishing kayaks and shoreline parks embrace the challenge of casting along the scenic stretch of the Mississippi River that flows around St. Cloud’s Beaver Islands, one of the top river smallmouth bass fisheries in the country. And the southern stretches of the Mississippi appeal to paddlers and anglers who find the bluff country’s quiet backwaters rich in northern pike, walleye, muskie, largemouth bass, crappies and catfish.

The following rivers are also popular among anglers.

CANNON RIVER

Flowing through the rolling hills and woods south of Minneapolis-St. Paul, this river yields northern pike, black crappies, catfish and smallmouth bass.

MINNESOTA RIVER

From its confluence with the Mississippi River below Historic Fort Snelling in St. Paul, this placid river flows 370 miles south to Mankato and west to Big Stone Lake at Ortonville. It’s possible to reel in channel and flathead catfish, walleye, northern pike, smallmouth bass and sauger.

RED RIVER

Flowing north along Minnesota’s northwest border, this muddy river harbors channel catfish, smallmouth bass, walleye, northern pike, sauger and lake sturgeon. Find campsites along the shore at East Grand Forks’ Red River State Recreation Area.

ROOT RIVER

Smallmouth bass, catfish, rock bass and more can be found in this gentle river that flows through southeast Minnesota. Some spots may harbor brown trout, which thrive in the region’s smaller streams. Preston offers walk-in river access.

RUM RIVER

Running from Mille Lacs Lake in central Minnesota to the Mississippi River in Anoka, the Rum River offers numerous shore fishing sites and boat accesses for catching walleye, smallmouth bass, bluegill, crappies and northern pike.

ST. CROIX RIVER

With the Dalles rocky bluffs and glacial potholes at Interstate State Park, this river delivers dramatic scenery along with smallmouth bass, catfish, walleye, sauger and lake sturgeon among its 60-plus species of fish. Other state parks along its shores: Afton, St. Croix and Wild River.

#ONLYINMN

Enjoy year-round angling and top-tier fishing spots with abundant lakes, rivers and streams.

©Explore Minnesota. View All Articles.

Where to Go Fishing
https://digital.milespartnership.com/article/Where+to+Go+Fishing/4878592/834702/article.html

Issue List