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

Target species: Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Smallmouth Bass, Muskellunge, Walleye, Bluegill, Yellow Perch
Boat: 3 ramps and launches on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at Ida Lake (N) Public Water Access Site, 1 lane.

The lake

Lake Ida covers 4,405 acres in Minnesota, across Douglas County. It is a lake: 91.4% of it is 60 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 100 feet (30.5 m). Our records hold 18 species for this water.

Depth and bottom

Deepest measured point: at least 100 ft (30.5 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. 91.4% of the water is 60 feet or shallower. We hold 117 depth contour lines for this water.

Lake Ida, Cormorant Township, Minnesota 56554.jpg
Richard N Horne · CC BY-SA 4.0
  • 0–5 ft: 14.3% of the water
  • 5–10 ft: 14.6% of the water
  • 10–15 ft: 9.2% of the water
  • 15–20 ft: 6.8% of the water
  • 20–25 ft: 5.3% of the water
  • 25–30 ft: 5.1% of the water
  • 30–35 ft: 5.7% of the water
  • 35–40 ft: 7.7% of the water
  • 40–45 ft: 6.7% of the water
  • 45–50 ft: 6.1% of the water
  • 50–55 ft: 5.1% of the water
  • 55–60 ft: 4.8% of the water
  • 60–65 ft: 3.8% of the water
  • 65–70 ft: 1.9% of the water
  • 70–75 ft: 0.8% of the water
  • 75–80 ft: 0.7% of the water
  • 80–85 ft: 0.5% of the water
  • 85–90 ft: 0.5% of the water
  • 90–95 ft: 0.4% of the water
  • 95–100 ft: 0.2% of the water

7 target fish, led by Largemouth Bass

  • Largemouth Bass — Feeding water: 65–85°F.
  • Northern Pike — Feeding water: 50–75°F.
  • Smallmouth Bass — Feeding water: 60–75°F.
  • Muskellunge — Feeding water: 65–75°F.
  • Walleye — Feeding water: 50–75°F.
  • Bluegill — Feeding water: 70–85°F.
  • Yellow Perch — Feeding water: 45–75°F.

Also recorded here: Pumpkinseed, Black Crappie, Rock Bass, Black Bullhead, White Sucker, Cisco, Green Sunfish, Brown Bullhead, Bowfin, Yellow Bullhead, Common Carp.

Water and conditions

Water clarity runs 13–21 feet on our readings, averaging 17.2 feet, from 254 readings. Our water temperature readings average 69°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. pH averages 8.6. These readings span 2017–2025.

3 ramps and launches on this water

On this water we hold 3 trailer ramps.

  • Ida Lake (N) Public Water Access Site — 1 lane. Leaf Valley Township.
  • Ida Lake, E Pilgrim Point Public Water Access Site — 1 lane, restrooms. DNR Division of Parks and Trails.
  • Ida Lake, Highlands (SE) Public Water Access Site — 1 lane. DNR Division of Parks and Trails.

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

Only 3 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.