Willmar Lake fishing: Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, Walleye
Target species: Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Bigmouth Buffalo, Freshwater Drum, River Carpsucker, Shortnose Gar
Boat: 3 ramps and launches on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at Foot Lake, Co Rd 41 Public Water Access Site, 1 lane.
The lake
Willmar Lake covers 649 acres in Minnesota, across Kandiyohi County. It is a lake: 91.4% of it is 10 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 20 feet (6.1 m). Our records hold 17 species for this water.
7 target fish, led by Northern Pike
- Northern Pike — Feeding water: 50–75°F.
- Largemouth Bass — Feeding water: 65–85°F.
- Walleye — Feeding water: 50–75°F.
- Bigmouth Buffalo — Feeding water: 70–80°F.
- Freshwater Drum — Feeding water: 60–75°F.
- River Carpsucker — Feeding water: 65–75°F.
- Shortnose Gar — Feeding water: 65–80°F.
Also recorded here: Black Bullhead, White Sucker, Black Crappie, Bluegill, Yellow Perch, Pumpkinseed, Orangespotted Sunfish, Brown Bullhead, Yellow Bullhead, Common Carp.
Depth and bottom
Deepest measured point: at least 20 ft (6.1 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. 91.4% of the water is 10 feet or shallower. We hold 108 depth contour lines for this water.
- 0–2 ft: 7.9% of the water
- 2–3 ft: 6.6% of the water
- 3–4 ft: 7.3% of the water
- 4–5 ft: 7.7% of the water
- 5–6 ft: 8.8% of the water
- 6–7 ft: 24.5% of the water
- 7–8 ft: 24.7% of the water
- 8–10 ft: 3.9% of the water
- 10–12 ft: 2.8% of the water
- 12–14 ft: 2.3% of the water
- 14–16 ft: 2% of the water
- 16–18 ft: 1.2% of the water
- 18–20 ft: 0.2% of the water
Water and conditions
Our water temperature readings average 72°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. The coldest single reading we hold is 52°F and the warmest is 81°F; the warmest monthly average is 78°F. pH averages 8.7. These readings span 2020–2025.
3 ramps and launches on this water
On this water we hold 3 trailer ramps and 1 shore access point.
- Foot Lake, Co Rd 41 Public Water Access Site — 1 lane.
- Foot Lake, Robbins Island Public Water Access Site — 1 lane, restrooms.
- Willmar Lake Public Water Access Site — 1 lane.
Shore access for bank fishing
- Foot Lake Winter Access Public Water Access Site — 1 lane.
Fee and opening hours are blank for all 4 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
With 91.4% of the water 10 feet or less, low level turns the flats into hazards.
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.
