Howard Lake fishing: Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, Walleye

Target species: Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Bigmouth Buffalo, Black Bullhead, White Sucker, Black Crappie
Boat: 2 ramps and launches on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at Howard Lake, Lions Park Public Water Access Site, 2 lanes.

The lake

Howard Lake covers 732 acres in Minnesota, across Wright County. It is a lake: 90.9% of it is 30 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 35 feet (10.7 m). Our records hold 15 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.
  • Bigmouth Buffalo — Feeding water: 70–80°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, Yellow Perch, Green Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Bowfin, Brown Bullhead, Yellow Bullhead, Common Carp.

Aerial view of Howard Lake, Minnesota 2024-10-21.jpg
Schwerdf · CC BY 4.0

Depth and bottom

Deepest measured point: at least 35 ft (10.7 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. 90.9% of the water is 30 feet or shallower. We hold 23 depth contour lines for this water.

  • 0–2 ft: 4.1% of the water
  • 2–4 ft: 6.4% of the water
  • 4–6 ft: 6.7% of the water
  • 6–8 ft: 7.3% of the water
  • 8–10 ft: 6.9% of the water
  • 10–12 ft: 5.6% of the water
  • 12–14 ft: 5.2% of the water
  • 14–16 ft: 5.5% of the water
  • 16–18 ft: 6.6% of the water
  • 18–20 ft: 9.2% of the water
  • 20–22 ft: 12.3% of the water
  • 22–24 ft: 4.7% of the water
  • 24–26 ft: 3.8% of the water
  • 26–28 ft: 3.3% of the water
  • 28–30 ft: 3.3% of the water
  • 30–32 ft: 3.3% of the water
  • 32–34 ft: 4% of the water
  • 34–35 ft: 2% of the water

Water and conditions

Water clarity runs 2.5–11.2 feet on our readings, averaging 6 feet, from 90 readings. Our water temperature readings average 71°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. The coldest single reading we hold is 53°F and the warmest is 83°F; the warmest monthly average is 76°F. pH averages 8.8. These readings span 2017–2025.

2 ramps and launches on this water

On this water we hold 2 trailer ramps and 1 shore access point.

  • Howard Lake, Lions Park Public Water Access Site — 2 lanes, restrooms.
  • Howard Lake, Memorial Park Public Water Access Site — 1 lane.

Shore access for bank fishing

  • Howard Lake (N) Public Water Access Site — 1 lane. Middleville Township.

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

Clarity swings from 2.5 to 11.2 feet between our readings — the water you meet is not the water someone photographed. Only 2 public ramps are 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.
  • 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.