There is no shortage of fishing opportunities in Minnesota. According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, you have 3.8 million acres of fish-holding water from which to choose. You should have little trouble finding a lake to catch bass, crappies, sunfish or walleyes. Still, some lakes are better than others are when it comes to making consistent catches.
Significance
Fishing is part of the fabric that is Minnesota. You can find people fishing every day, even if the sun is beating down and the fish aren't biting, or there is a thick sheet of ice across the lake. Word of a good fishing bite spreads quickly in the state, given that many people know what's going on in lakes in their area. If a big lake--Lake Mille Lacs, for example--is a hotspot, it may stay that way the entire season. Other hot bites tend to last for a few days or a week before cooling off. That is especially true on small lakes that are particularly susceptible to fishing pressure.
Lake Mille Lacs
One of the top walleye-producing lakes in the state is Lake Mille Lacs. It features more than 100,000 acres of water and huge mud flats that draw walleyes and walleye fishermen. One of the best ways to catch walleyes on the lake is to troll or drift live-bait rigs tipped with leeches, minnows or nightcrawlers. Once they find a school of walleyes, many anglers switch to a piece of live bait fished below a slip bobber, or a lead-head jig and minnow. Smallmouth bass are another popular species on Mille Lacs. Find rocks and you will find smallmouths. Cast crankbaits, jigs and spinnerbaits to catch them. Finally, Mille Lacs is one of the premier muskie lakes in the state, and anglers there catch 50-inch fish or longer with regularity. Focus on the vegetation in the bays, or the reefs and humps where walleye anglers target. Bucktails, crankbaits and jerkbaits all are productive.
Lake Minnetonka
Lake Minnetonka, actually a series of interconnected lakes, may be the busiest in the state, located as it is on the western side of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. Yet it is still a premier fishing destination for anglers looking, particularly, for bass. Fish for crappies and sunfish near the docks that ring the shoreline. Catch walleyes along the weedlines and drop-offs. Still, it's the bass fishing that draws many fishermen to the lake. Focus on the milfoil, which grows in heavy mats on the surface. Pitch jigs and plastic worms along the edges of the milfoil, focusing on points and turns. Alternatively, pitch the lures into the middle of the milfoil, if the edges aren't producing. Bass can easily wrap your line around milfoil stems, so it's important to use heavy equipment.
Misconceptions
While Minnesota has many lakes of national renown, many more fly under the radar. According to the Minnesota DNR, there are 5,493 lakes with fishable populations of fish. Many of them are small, but they also receive less fishing pressure than well-known waters like Mille Lacs or Minnetonka. One of the best ways to find a productive lake is to decide which part of the state you want to fish, and then go to the DNR website and search the "Lake Finder" function. The agency has a database of many lakes, and you can retrieve information about their fish populations. In addition, you can learn about the lake access points.
Fishing Regulations
If you are going to fish in Minnesota, you must purchase a fishing license. There are various licensing options available, lasting from 24 hours to an entire season. There also are daily bag limits in place for popular game fish species like bass, crappies, muskies, northern pike, sunfish and walleyes. For a full list of license options and fish bag limits, check out the Minnesota Fishing Regulations booklet (see Resources).
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