Medicine Lake fishing: Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Walleye

Target species: Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Walleye, Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, Black Bullhead, White Sucker
Best months: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep for Largemouth Bass
Second window: May, Jun, Sep, Oct for Northern Pike
Boat: 1 ramp or launch on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at Medicine Lake, French Regional Park Public Water Access Site, 3 lanes.

The lake

Medicine Lake covers 911 acres in Minnesota, across Hennepin County. It is a lake: 90.4% of it is 30 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 40 feet (12.2 m). Our records hold 14 species for this water.

7 target fish, led by Largemouth Bass

  • Largemouth Bass — Best months: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.
  • Northern Pike — Best months: May, Jun, Sep, Oct.
  • Walleye — Best months: May, Jun, Sep, Oct.
  • Bluegill — Best months: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.
  • Pumpkinseed — Best months: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.
  • Black Bullhead — Best months: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.
  • White Sucker — Best months: May, Sep, Oct.

Also recorded here: Black Crappie, Yellow Perch, Green Sunfish, Bowfin, Brown Bullhead, Yellow Bullhead, Common Carp.

Depth and bottom

Deepest measured point: at least 40 ft (12.2 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. 90.4% of the water is 30 feet or shallower. We hold 68 depth contour lines for this water.

  • 0–2 ft: 6.5% of the water
  • 2–4 ft: 7.2% of the water
  • 4–6 ft: 7% of the water
  • 6–8 ft: 6.6% of the water
  • 8–10 ft: 6.1% of the water
  • 10–12 ft: 5.9% of the water
  • 12–14 ft: 5.9% of the water
  • 14–16 ft: 5.8% of the water
  • 16–18 ft: 5.7% of the water
  • 18–20 ft: 7.5% of the water
  • 20–22 ft: 7.9% of the water
  • 22–24 ft: 4.8% of the water
  • 24–26 ft: 4% of the water
  • 26–28 ft: 4% of the water
  • 28–30 ft: 5.5% of the water
  • 30–32 ft: 4.5% of the water
  • 32–34 ft: 1.9% of the water
  • 34–36 ft: 1.2% of the water
  • 36–38 ft: 1.2% of the water
  • 38–40 ft: 0.8% of the water

Water and conditions

Water clarity runs 3.6–14.2 feet on our readings, averaging 8.4 feet, from 248 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 40°F and the warmest is 86°F; the warmest monthly average is 78°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.

  • Medicine Lake, French Regional Park Public Water Access Site — 3 lanes, restrooms. Three Rivers Park District.

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

Clarity swings from 3.6 to 14.2 feet between our readings — the water you meet is not the water someone photographed. 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.
  • 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.