Tom Lake fishing: Walleye, Burbot, Lake Whitefish

Target species: Walleye, Burbot, Lake Whitefish, White Sucker, Yellow Perch
Boat: 1 ramp or launch on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at Tom Lake Public Water Access Site, 1 lane.

The lake

Tom Lake covers 410 acres in Minnesota, across Cook County. It is a lake: 93% of it is 26 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 35 feet (10.7 m). Our records hold 5 species for this water.

Indian Tom lake shore.jpeg
User:bobjgalindo · CC BY-SA 3.0

5 target fish, led by Walleye

  • Walleye — Feeding water: 50–75°F.
  • Burbot — Feeding water: 40–50°F.
  • Lake Whitefish — Feeding water: 40–55°F.
  • White Sucker — Feeding water: 50–70°F.
  • Yellow Perch — Feeding water: 45–75°F.

Depth and bottom

Deepest measured point: at least 35 ft (10.7 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. 93% of the water is 26 feet or shallower. We hold 48 depth contour lines for this water.

Indian Tom Lake Rd.jpeg
User:bobjgalindo · CC BY-SA 3.0
  • 0–2 ft: 5.1% of the water
  • 2–4 ft: 6.9% of the water
  • 4–6 ft: 9% of the water
  • 6–8 ft: 9.2% of the water
  • 8–10 ft: 9.9% of the water
  • 10–12 ft: 9.7% of the water
  • 12–14 ft: 8.1% of the water
  • 14–16 ft: 7.2% of the water
  • 16–18 ft: 6.7% of the water
  • 18–20 ft: 6% of the water
  • 20–22 ft: 5.5% of the water
  • 22–24 ft: 5.5% of the water
  • 24–26 ft: 4.2% of the water
  • 26–28 ft: 2.1% of the water
  • 28–30 ft: 1.6% of the water
  • 30–32 ft: 1.5% of the water
  • 32–34 ft: 1.6% of the water
  • 34–35 ft: 0.3% of the water

Water and conditions

Water clarity runs 7.1–10.5 feet on our readings, averaging 8.9 feet, from 144 readings. Our water temperature readings average 65°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. The coldest single reading we hold is 48°F and the warmest is 75°F; the warmest monthly average is 70°F. pH averages 7.1. These readings span 2017–2025.

Indian Tom Lake, California.jpeg
User:bobjgalindo · CC BY-SA 3.0

1 ramp or launch on this water

On this water we hold 1 trailer ramp.

  • Tom Lake Public Water Access Site — 1 lane. DNR Division of Parks and Trails.

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

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.