Welcome to our Mille Lacs Lake Fishing Home Page
Mille Lacs Lake is Minnesota’s second-largest lake and it covers 132,000 surface acres. Mille Lacs is a great lake for outdoor recreation, but it has been known for its outstanding walleye fishery over the years. There was a walleye collapse and they are hoping to be coming out of that now, however, there are plenty of restrictions on the lake as far as keeping walleye throughout the seasons. This has been a huge debate on the lake. Fortunately, the smallmouth bass fishing is off the charts good right now which is helping make up for the walleye issues.
Primary Species of Fish
Walleye, Smallmouth Bass, Perch & Northern Pike
Mille Lacs Lake has been an awesome walleye lake historically. There have been some issues in recent years and there have been new regulations put in place to try to restore the walleye fishery to its better years. The smallmouth bass fishery has taken off recently with anglers reporting lots of bass being caught with some absolute huge bass here too. Smallmouth bass in the 4 to 6 pound range are possible on any given day and on some days, you may catch several fish in this range with lots of 2 to 3 pound fish too. Pike fishing is good for anglers who go out and target them and some big fish are here too.
Secondary Species of Fish
Largemouth Bass, Muskie, Crappie, Bluegill & Other Sunfish
This lake has a very diverse fishery. Some anglers do target muskie and largemouth bass, however, most anglers don’t come here for these fish. The panfish are a nice addition for anglers looking to catch some perch, crappie and bluegill.
Fish the Flats
This lake also has some pretty large flats. The flats can hold a variety of bait fish which will then attract game fish. The mud flats are popular among the walleye anglers during the early summer. You need to cover some water on the flats because the fish can literally be anywhere.
Fish the Points
This lake does have some points and they are worth fishing. If the fish aren’t there though, there are so many other areas you can fish and have success on this lake, so don’t be stuck on having to fish points. You will find a variety of fish moving in and off the points such as walleye, bass, pike and panfish.
Fish the Reefs
The reefs are going to hold a lot of smallmouth bass and walleye from summer through fall. Once the summer patterns set in, you can just come out here and fish the reefs every day you are on the water. There will always be some fish using the reefs from summer through fall.
Fish the Rocks
This lake has a lot of rocks and the smallmouth bass love the rocks. You will find a lot of smallmouth bass in the lake and where you find rocks, there will most likely be smallmouth bass. Walleye are often found around the rocks as well. Panfish, pike and muskie can be found around the rocks too.
Fish the Shorelines
This lake is huge with miles of shorelines. You will find a little bit of variety around the lake. Along the shorelines, the rocks and weeds will usually hold more fish. The weeds can hold a little bit of everything, but expect to find pike, some walleye, largemouth bass and panfish. Around the rocks, you are going to find lots of smallmouth bass, some walleye, perch and other panfish. The shorelines are great for fishing in the spring. Fish anywhere between 4 and 12 feet of water and just cover some water casting. You will catch smallmouth bass, some largemouth bass possibly, northern pike and some walleye too.
Fish the Weeds
This lake has a lot of vegetation and you can definitely target the weeds while fishing here. If you fish the weeds hard, you will find northern pike, largemouth bass, some muskie, panfish and some walleye too. Occasionally you will find smallmouth bass relating to the weeds, but they will usually be found on the rocks.
Mille Lacs Lake Fishing Regulations
