Elk Lake fishing: Muskellunge, Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass

Elk Lake fishing: Muskellunge, Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass

Target species: Muskellunge, Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Black Bullhead, White Sucker, Black Crappie
Boat: 1 ramp or launch on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at Elk Lake Public Water Access Site, 1 lane.

The lake

Elk Lake covers 294 acres in Minnesota, across Clearwater County. It is a lake: 90.4% of it is 65 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 90 feet (27.4 m). Our records hold 14 species for this water.

Depth and bottom

Deepest measured point: at least 90 ft (27.4 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. 90.4% of the water is 65 feet or shallower. We hold 30 depth contour lines for this water.

• 0–5 ft: 5.7% of the water
• 5–10 ft: 8% of the water
• 10–15 ft: 7.9% of the water
• 15–20 ft: 8.1% of the water
• 20–25 ft: 7.9% of the water
• 25–30 ft: 9% of the water
• 30–35 ft: 10.4% of the water
• 35–40 ft: 10.7% of the water
• 40–45 ft: 7.2% of the water
• 45–50 ft: 4.9% of the water
• 50–55 ft: 4.1% of the water
• 55–60 ft: 3.6% of the water
• 60–65 ft: 2.9% of the water
• 65–70 ft: 2% of the water
• 70–75 ft: 2.1% of the water
• 75–80 ft: 2.2% of the water
• 80–85 ft: 2.1% of the water
• 85–90 ft: 1.4% of the water

7 target fish, led by Muskellunge

• Muskellunge — Feeding water: 65–75°F.
• Northern Pike — Feeding water: 50–75°F.
• Largemouth Bass — Feeding water: 65–85°F.
• Walleye — Feeding water: 50–75°F.
• Black Bullhead — Feeding water: 70–80°F.
• White Sucker — Feeding water: 50–70°F.
• Black Crappie — Feeding water: 65–75°F.

Also recorded here: Bluegill, Cisco, Rock Bass, Yellow Perch, Green Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Yellow Bullhead.

Water and conditions

Water clarity runs 6.9–16.4 feet on our readings, averaging 11.2 feet, from 73 readings. Our water temperature readings average 67°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. The coldest single reading we hold is 44°F and the warmest is 78°F; the warmest monthly average is 75°F. pH averages 8.5. These readings span 2016–2025.

1 ramp or launch on this water

On this water we hold 1 trailer ramp.

• Elk Lake Public Water Access Site — 1 lane. DNR Division of Parks and Trails.

The place listed has no fee or opening hours on file: 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

Only 1 public ramp is on file, so the launch decides where you fish.

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.
• EPA NLA — EPA National Lakes Assessment: 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.