Minnesota is the land of the 10,000 lakes, which makes it a dream for every angler. In Minnesota, there are plenty of lakes and rivers filled with fish just waiting to attack your lure. With so many fishing opportunities it can be difficult to know where to start. In this guide we will cover the best lakes, rivers, and resorts to fish in Minnesota, the types of fish you can find, and lastly recommend some of the best fishing reports that you should be checking out before you head on your fishing trip.
Best Fishing Lakes in Minnesota
Mille Lacs
Mille Lacs Lake is a huge 132,516-acre lake that stretches through three counties. There is an abundance of great fishing opportunities in Mille Lacs, and it offers great year-round fishing. Mille Lacs is known to have a number of prized game fish species including walleye, northern pike, muskie, perch, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, and more.
Leech Lake
Up in the counties of Itasca, Hubbard, and Beltrami, you will find one of the best fishing spots in Minnesota: Leech Lake. This is a huge 102,947-acre lake that houses a number of popular game fish and has plenty of campgrounds for a fun trip. In Leech Lake, you can find walleye, muskie, northern pike, bass, crappie, blue, sunfish, carp, and more.
Lake Winnibigoshish
Between Cass and Itasca county you can find another treasured fishing lake in the 56,471 acre Lake Winnibigoshish. This lake is well known for some of the best walleye fishing in the state. Other species you can fish include walleye, northern pike, bullhead, perch, bass, bluegill, muskie and more.
Lake Superior
The largest great lake, lake superior is another great fishing spot in Minnesota. The lake shares borders with Canada, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan and houses a huge population of different fish species. In lake superior, you can find walleye, smallmouth bass, lake trout, salmon, sturgeon and many more. There are known to be upwards of 50 different fish species that reproduce in lake superior.
Red Lake
Another prized fishing lake in Minnesota, Red Lake is a huge 107,8000-acre lake with some great fishing. In red lake, you can find walleye, crappie, rock bass, northern pike, freshwater drum, perch, whitefish and much more.
Best Fishing Rivers in Minnesota
Mississippi River
Throughout Minnesota, you will find great access to fishing the mighty Mississippi River. In the Mississippi, you can fish smallmouth bass, catfish, walleye, northern pike, muskie, bluegill and many more species depending on the area you are in.
St. Croix River
The St. Croix River is known to have over 60 species of fish which makes it great for fishing a wide variety of game fish. Anglers commonly fish this river hoping to catch walleye, smallmouth bass, lake sturgeon, and catfish. If you’re fishing for walleye, focus your efforts on the stretch of river below Stillwater. This area is known to have a higher population than other parts of the river.
Root River
Root river stretches across the southern part of the state and is popular for catching smallmouth bass, rock bass, catfish, and trout. It is more famously known as a brown trout fishing river, where you can fish larger trout in the southeast streams. Try fishing the South Branch of Root River. It offers a wide area with a lot of room for fly fishing.
Minnesota River
The Minnesota River is a 332 mile long tributary of the Mississippi River. There are many great access points throughout the state to fish this huge river. You can fish a number of popular game fish in the Minnesota river such as walleye, northern pike, smallmouth bass, and more.
Cannon River
Cannon River is another great fishing opportunity in the land of 10,000 lakes. With many great fishing spots south of the twin cities you can commonly catch smallmouth bass, catfish, northern pike, and crappies in this river.
Best Fishing Resorts in Minnesota
Eagles Nest Lodge
Up in northern Minnesota in the small town of Deer River you can one of the best fishing resorts in the state. Eagles Nest Lodge offers cozy cabins across from Cutfoot Sioux lake and lake winnibigoshish. Come to this resort for a truly relaxing getaway while fishing for walleye, muskie, northern pike, crappie, bluegill, largemouth bass, and perch.
Lakewood Lodge
Another great fishing resort up in Deer River, Lakewood Lodge offers cozy cabins available year-round right next to sand lake. Here you can find walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, crappie, perch, and other popular game fish.
The Pines Resort
Pines resort offers easy access to one of Minnesota’s best fishing lakes, Lake Winnibigoshish. The pines resort offers cabins and campgrounds in Deer River Minnesota. In this beautiful fishing resort, you can catch northern pike, bass, panfish, perch, and other game fish.
Hunter Winfield’s Resort
If you’re looking for a fishing resort to fish the popular Mille Lacs Lake you need to check out Hunter Winfield’s Resort in Isle, MN. This resort offers cabins, boat rentals, pontoon rentals, and ice house rentals for year-round fishing fun. Here you can fish a wide variety of popular gamefish on your relaxing getaway.
Pine Grove Lodge
Pine Grove Lodge is another fantastic fishing resort on Sand Lake. This resort offers cabins, boat rentals, and pontoon rentals for a great fishing trip. Fish for a variety of species or enjoy the resorts other amenities such as ATV and bike trails, swimming beach, or fall hunting areas.
Best Minnesota Fishing Reports
If you’re looking for the best regularly updated fishing reports check out the links below. You can find regularly updated fishing reports on all the best fishing spots in the state. Whether you’re looking for certain lakes, rivers, or ice fishing reports, you can find them all at the links below.
