Lake Byllesby fishing: Smallmouth Bass, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike

Target species: Smallmouth Bass, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Walleye, Freshwater Drum, Channel Catfish, White Bass
Boat: 3 ramps and launches on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at Cannon River, Lake Byllesby (E) Public Water Access Site, 2 lanes.

The lake

Lake Byllesby covers 1,273 acres in Minnesota, across 2 counties: Dakota and Goodhue. It is a lake: 95.1% of it is 24 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 50 feet (15.2 m). Our records hold 19 species for this water.

7 target fish, led by Smallmouth Bass

  • Smallmouth Bass — Feeding water: 60–75°F.
  • Largemouth Bass — Feeding water: 65–85°F.
  • Northern Pike — Feeding water: 50–75°F.
  • Walleye — Feeding water: 50–75°F.
  • Freshwater Drum — Feeding water: 60–75°F.
  • Channel Catfish — Feeding water: 70–85°F.
  • White Bass — Feeding water: 65–75°F.

Also recorded here: Bluegill, Flathead Catfish, Bigmouth Buffalo, Golden Redhorse, River Carpsucker, Black Bullhead, Shorthead Redhorse, White Sucker, Black Crappie, White Crappie, Yellow Perch, Common Carp.

Lake Byllesby Trees, Minnesota - Dakota County Parks (41669092744).jpg
Tony Webster from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States · CC BY 2.0

Depth and bottom

Deepest measured point: at least 50 ft (15.2 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. 95.1% of the water is 24 feet or shallower. We hold 64 depth contour lines for this water.

  • 0–3 ft: 19.8% of the water
  • 3–6 ft: 10.3% of the water
  • 6–9 ft: 11.1% of the water
  • 9–12 ft: 12.7% of the water
  • 12–15 ft: 11.9% of the water
  • 15–18 ft: 10.2% of the water
  • 18–21 ft: 10.5% of the water
  • 21–24 ft: 8.6% of the water
  • 24–27 ft: 4.3% of the water
  • 27–30 ft: 0.4% of the water
  • 30–33 ft: 0.2% of the water

Water and conditions

Water clarity runs 1.6–5.5 feet on our readings, averaging 3 feet, from 99 readings. Our water temperature readings average 68°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. The coldest single reading we hold is 42°F and the warmest is 82°F; the warmest monthly average is 76°F. pH averages 8.2. These readings span 2017–2025.

3 ramps and launches on this water

On this water we hold 3 trailer ramps and 2 shore access points.

  • Cannon River, Lake Byllesby (E) Public Water Access Site — 2 lanes, restrooms. Goodhue County.
  • Lake Byllesby Public Water Access Site — 2 lanes, restrooms. Dakota County.
  • Cannon River, Lake Byllesby (W) Public Water Access Site — 1 lane. Goodhue County.

Shore access for bank fishing

Lake Byllesby Park Spring Hiking Trail - Dakota County Parks, Minnesota (41339260554).jpg
Tony Webster from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States · CC BY 2.0
  • Cannon River, Lake Byllesby Regional Park, Dam Public Water Access — 1 lane, restrooms. Dakota County, Parks.
  • Lake Byllesby, Regional Park Beach — 1 lane, restrooms. Dakota County, Parks.

Fee and opening hours are blank for all 5 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 1.6 to 5.5 feet between our readings — the water you meet is not the water someone photographed.

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.