Mille Lacs Lake fishing: Northern Pike, Walleye, Smallmouth Bass

Target species: Northern Pike, Walleye, Smallmouth Bass, Muskellunge, Largemouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Cisco
Boat: 12 ramps and launches on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at Mille Lacs Lake, Cedar Creek Public Water Access Site, 2 lanes.

The lake

Mille Lacs Lake covers 128,173 acres in Minnesota, across 3 counties: Mille Lacs, Aitkin and Crow Wing. It is a lake: 95.6% of it is 38 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 40 feet (12.2 m). Our records hold 20 species for this water.

A beautiful, scenic sunset on Mille Lacs Lake, Minnesota (28982171863).jpg
Tony Webster from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States · CC BY 2.0

7 target fish, led by Northern Pike

  • Northern Pike — Feeding water: 50–75°F.
  • Walleye — Feeding water: 50–75°F.
  • Smallmouth Bass — Feeding water: 60–75°F.
  • Muskellunge — Feeding water: 65–75°F.
  • Largemouth Bass — Feeding water: 65–85°F.
  • Yellow Perch — Feeding water: 45–75°F.
  • Cisco — Feeding water: 40–60°F.

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

Mille Lacs Lake - Father Hennepin State Park Boat Launch (29495736482).jpg
Tony Webster from Minneapolis, Minnesota · CC BY-SA 2.0

Depth and bottom

Deepest measured point: at least 40 ft (12.2 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. 95.6% of the water is 38 feet or shallower. We hold 680 depth contour lines for this water.

Mille Lacs Lake, Father Hennepin State Park, Minnesota, September 9, 2013 (10551331306).jpg
Mike Goad · CC0
  • 0–2 ft: 1.4% of the water
  • 2–4 ft: 1.2% of the water
  • 4–6 ft: 1.2% of the water
  • 6–8 ft: 1.4% of the water
  • 8–10 ft: 2% of the water
  • 10–12 ft: 2.3% of the water
  • 12–14 ft: 1.4% of the water
  • 14–16 ft: 1.7% of the water
  • 16–18 ft: 1.8% of the water
  • 18–20 ft: 2.5% of the water
  • 20–22 ft: 4% of the water
  • 22–24 ft: 3.3% of the water
  • 24–26 ft: 5% of the water
  • 26–28 ft: 5.4% of the water
  • 28–30 ft: 7.6% of the water
  • 30–32 ft: 15.8% of the water
  • 32–34 ft: 9.2% of the water
  • 34–36 ft: 18.3% of the water
  • 36–38 ft: 10.1% of the water
  • 38–40 ft: 4.6% of the water

12 ramps and launches on this water

On this water we hold 12 trailer ramps and 2 shore access points.

  • Mille Lacs Lake, Cedar Creek Public Water Access Site — 2 lanes, restrooms. DNR Division of Parks and Trails.
  • Mille Lacs Lake, Cove Bay Public Water Access Site — 2 lanes, restrooms. DNR Division of Parks and Trails.
  • Mille Lacs Lake, Father Hennepin SPK (E) Public Water Access Site — 2 lanes. DNR Division of Parks and Trails.
  • Mille Lacs Lake, Liberty Beach Public Water Access Site — 2 lanes, restrooms. DNR Division of Parks and Trails.
  • Mille Lacs Lake, Malmo Public Water Access Site — 2 lanes, restrooms. DNR Division of Parks and Trails.
  • Mille Lacs Lake, Pike Point, Garrison Public Water Access Site — 2 lanes, restrooms. DNR Division of Parks and Trails.
  • Mille Lacs Lake, Shah-bush-kung Public Water Access Site — 2 lanes, restrooms. DNR Division of Parks and Trails.
  • Mille Lacs Lake, Father Hennepin SPK (W) Public Water Access Site — 1 lane, restrooms. DNR Division of Parks and Trails.
  • Mille Lacs Lake, Isle Public Water Access Site — 1 lane, restrooms. DNR Division of Parks and Trails.
  • Mille Lacs Lake, North Garrison Bay Public Water Access Site — 1 lane, restrooms. DNR Division of Parks and Trails.

Shore access for bank fishing

  • Mille Lacs Lake, Co Hwy 37 Public Water Access Site — 1 lane. Aitkin County.
  • Reddy Creek Public Water Access Site — restrooms. DNR Division of Fish and Wildlife.

Fee and opening hours are blank for all 12 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.

Water and conditions

Water clarity runs 6.2–16.4 feet on our readings, averaging 10.4 feet, from 319 readings. Our water temperature readings average 67°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 83°F; the warmest monthly average is 73°F. pH averages 8.2. These readings span 2016–2025.

What is hard here

Wind is the limit, not the fish: 128,173 acres of open water build a short steep chop, and there is no shelter in the middle.

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.