Lake Pepin Fishing

Welcome to our Lake Pepin Fishing Home Page

Lake Pepin is a 24,550 acre lake that is located on the border of Minnesota and Wisconsin. This is a popular lake for fishing and boating. There are numerous public boat launches, fishing guide services, marinas and plenty of lodging options to accommodate you on your trip here.

Primary Species of Fish

Walleye & Northern Pike

Lake Pepin is a very good walleye and sauger fishery. Anglers can catch good numbers of walleye to go along with some big fish too. Pike are caught throughout the lake as well and there are some big pike here too. Fish in the 30 inch range are reported frequently on Lake Pepin.

Secondary Species of Fish

Smallmouth Bass, Largemouth Bass, Catfish, White Bass, Crappie, Perch & Sunfish

Bass are under fished here due to the walleye, sauger and northern pike fishing. You can target largemouth bass and smallmouth bass and do fairly well here, but they are definitely a secondary species of fish here. Catfish are common throughout the lake, but they don’t get a lot of interest from most anglers who fish here.

Catch a Mixed Bag

Lake Pepin has so many different fish in it and anglers can maximize their time on the water by using baits that work for multiple species of fish. For example, minnows in the 2.5 to 3 inch range may catch both species of bass, crappie, white bass, perch, walleye and some smaller pike. By upsizing just a little bit, you may run into some bigger catfish and northern pike, but not as many white bass, perch and crappie. So, depending on what you want to catch, think about all of the species of fish that you could catch and choose your baits accordingly to give you the best success.

The Current May Be a Factor

Lake Pepin is a big lake and at times, the current is very minimal. When the river is high though, this lake will have some current. When the current is running faster, you will have some current and you will also have some murkier water to deal with. Many anglers will go with brighter presentations and they will also have a lot of success by fishing the current breaks.

You can look for the obvious current breaks that you will find along the shorelines. There are several points throughout the lake that will provide nice current breaks when the water is running.

You can also look for bigger boulders and other structure along the bottom away from the shorelines. These spots will serve as current breaks down near the bottom and they can hold bigger numbers of fish than some of the obvious shoreline spots.

Fish the Dam

A lot of people fish the dam just south of Lake Pepin. The Great Alma Fishing Float is a popular place to fish. Anglers do well here for walleye, northern pike and catfish, however, you may catch a little bit of everything that swims in these waters. This is the Mississippi River south of Lake Pepin, but it’s super close and there is some very good fishing here.

Fish the Points

There are several points throughout Lake Pepin. Some of these spots will definitely be good spots to fish depending on the waters levels and the time of the year. If you are looking for just one pattern to fish though, this might not be it on this lake because there just aren’t that many points and many of them are spread out quite a ways from each other. If you’re looking to find some other spots to add though, some of the points will definitely hold some fish.

Fish the Rocks

There is a lot of rock in the river that leads into Lake Pepin and you will find a lot of rock in Lake Pepin as well. You have some nice rip rap shorelines that are known for being good smallmouth bass spots, but you may find a little bit of everything along the rip rap. Anglers may find walleye, pike, catfish, white bass and even largemouth bass in these areas. Some of the deeper water areas with rock will usually be your better spots for smallmouth bass and walleye from summer through fall.

Fish the Weeds

This lake does have some vegetation and that’s usually where the anglers go if they want to target largemouth bass. You will most likely find some northern pike, a variety of panfish and some walleye in these areas too.

Fish the Wood

There is some flooded wood on Lake Pepin. Wood attracts a variety of fish. Some of the wood will hold walleye and catfish, but don’t be shocked to find some pike and bass in these spots too.