Bowstring Lake fishing: Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, Walleye

Target species: Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Burbot, Black Bullhead, Shorthead Redhorse, Silver Redhorse
Boat: 3 ramps and launches on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at Bowstring Lake (S) Public Water Access Site, 2 lanes.

The lake

Bowstring Lake covers 9,554 acres in Minnesota, across Itasca County. It is a lake: 94.6% of it is 26 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 30 feet (9.1 m). Our records hold 16 species for this water.

7 target fish, led by Northern Pike

  • Northern Pike — Feeding water: 50–75°F.
  • Largemouth Bass — Feeding water: 65–85°F.
  • Walleye — Feeding water: 50–75°F.
  • Burbot — Feeding water: 40–50°F.
  • Black Bullhead — Feeding water: 70–80°F.
  • Shorthead Redhorse — Feeding water: 60–75°F.
  • Silver Redhorse — Feeding water: 60–75°F.

Also recorded here: White Sucker, Black Crappie, Bluegill, Cisco, Rock Bass, Yellow Perch, Pumpkinseed, Bowfin, Brown Bullhead.

Depth and bottom

Deepest measured point: at least 30 ft (9.1 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. 94.6% of the water is 26 feet or shallower. We hold 63 depth contour lines for this water.

  • 0–2 ft: 11% of the water
  • 2–4 ft: 5.3% of the water
  • 4–6 ft: 6.3% of the water
  • 6–8 ft: 7.8% of the water
  • 8–10 ft: 10.8% of the water
  • 10–12 ft: 5.2% of the water
  • 12–14 ft: 3.4% of the water
  • 14–16 ft: 3.6% of the water
  • 16–18 ft: 3.7% of the water
  • 18–20 ft: 4.4% of the water
  • 20–22 ft: 5.2% of the water
  • 22–24 ft: 7.9% of the water
  • 24–26 ft: 20% of the water
  • 26–28 ft: 3.4% of the water
  • 28–30 ft: 2.2% of the water

Water and conditions

Water clarity runs 5.2–12.5 feet on our readings, averaging 8.6 feet, from 94 readings. Our water temperature readings average 67°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. pH averages 8.2. These readings span 2018–2025.

3 ramps and launches on this water

On this water we hold 3 trailer ramps.

  • Bowstring Lake (S) Public Water Access Site — 2 lanes, restrooms. DNR Division of Parks and Trails.
  • Bowstring Lake (NE) Public Water Access Site — 1 lane, restrooms. DNR Division of Parks and Trails.
  • Bowstring Lake (NW) Public Water Access Site — 1 lane, restrooms. U.S. Forest Service. website fs.usda.gov/recarea/chippewa/recreation/recarea/?recid=26774 · hours: Open 24 hours/day

Fee and opening hours are blank for all 3 places in this list: a blank means we hold no such field, not that it is free or always open, and this list may not be complete.

What is hard here

Wind is the limit, not the fish: 9,554 acres of open water build a short steep chop, and there is no shelter in the middle.

Where this data comes from

  • Minnesota DNR — Minnesota DNR: depth contours: class A, a survey of the bottom.
  • Minnesota DNR — Minnesota DNR: reported depths: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.
  • Webster, K.E., McCullough, I.M., Soranno, P.A. LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0, EDI, doi:10.6073/pasta/64ddc4d04661d9aef4bd702dc5d8984f (CC BY 4.0); Cheruvelil et al. LAGOS-US LOCUS v1.0 (EDI) — LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0: Lake depth for 17,675 lakes in the conterminous U.S.: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.