Knife Lake fishing: Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, Walleye

Target species: Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Smallmouth Bass, Golden Redhorse, Black Bullhead, Shorthead Redhorse
Boat: 2 ramps and launches on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at Knife Lake (NE) Public Water Access Site, 1 lane.

The lake

Knife Lake covers 1,125 acres in Minnesota, across Kanabec County. It is a lake: 91.5% of it is 13 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 15 feet (4.6 m). Our records hold 17 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.
  • Smallmouth Bass — Feeding water: 60–75°F.
  • Golden Redhorse — Feeding water: 60–75°F.
  • Black Bullhead — Feeding water: 70–80°F.
  • Shorthead Redhorse — Feeding water: 60–75°F.

Also recorded here: White Sucker, Northern Hog Sucker, Black Crappie, Bluegill, Rock Bass, Yellow Perch, Green Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Brown Bullhead, Yellow Bullhead.

Depth and bottom

Deepest measured point: at least 15 ft (4.6 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. 91.5% of the water is 13 feet or shallower. We hold 97 depth contour lines for this water.

  • 0–2 ft: 4% of the water
  • 2–4 ft: 8.4% of the water
  • 4–6 ft: 10.9% of the water
  • 6–7 ft: 7.1% of the water
  • 7–8 ft: 7.7% of the water
  • 8–9 ft: 9.6% of the water
  • 9–10 ft: 7.9% of the water
  • 10–11 ft: 9.2% of the water
  • 11–12 ft: 11.5% of the water
  • 12–13 ft: 15.2% of the water
  • 13–14 ft: 8.5% of the water

Water and conditions

Water clarity runs 1.6–7.5 feet on our readings, averaging 3.7 feet, from 40 readings. Our water temperature readings average 71°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. pH averages 8.4. These readings span 2017–2025.

2 ramps and launches on this water

On this water we hold 2 trailer ramps.

  • Knife Lake (NE) Public Water Access Site — 1 lane, restrooms. MNDOT.
  • Knife Lake (S) Public Water Access Site — 1 lane, restrooms. DNR Division of Parks and Trails.

Fee and opening hours are blank for all 2 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

With 91.5% of the water 13 feet or less, low level turns the flats into hazards. Clarity swings from 1.6 to 7.5 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.