Fishing Calendar


Fishing Mille Lacs Lake in the Spring


Month Avg. Temps °F (Hi/Lo)
March 37° / 15°
April 52° / 30°
May 65° / 42°

Once water temperatures warm up, the spring offers some awesome fishing.  You will find a lot of different fish much shallower during this time of year.  You can cast crankbaits, jerkbaits and swimbaits and literally catch smallmouth bass, northern pike, walleye, largemouth bass and even muskiePanfish are all over the shallows as well.  Time it right in the spring and the fishing can be incredible.


Fishing Mille Lacs Lake in the Summer


Month Avg. Temps °F (Hi/Lo)
June 74° / 52°
July 79° / 57°
August 77° / 55°

Summer fishing gets a little tougher for some anglers, but if you know how to fish the offshore structure, you will catch fish here all summer long.  The smallmouth bass and walleye are predictable during this time of year and the pike and muskie won’t be far behind these fish either.  Panfish will usually school up in deeper water too.  Don’t rule out some of the vegetation here though in water 4 to 10 feet deep.  You will find some largemouth bass and pike in these areas all summer long.


Fishing Mille Lacs Lake in the Fall


Month Avg. Temps °F (Hi/Lo)
September 68° / 47°
October 54° / 35°
November 37° / 22°

In the fall, you will find a lot of fish back in the shallows, but not quite like the spring time.  You will also have plenty of fish stay deep, so you have some options.  As water temperatures drop below 60 degrees, expect these fish to go on a feeding frenzy to bulk up for the winter.  You have a lot of smallmouth bass in the lake and they will be competing for food.  If you can find them schooled up, the fall may be the easiest time to catch a lot of them.  All the species of fish should be pretty active, so put in some time on the water and you can catch a variety of fish or just target a specific species of fish.  Either way, the fishing should be solid through the fall.


Fishing Mille Lacs Lake in the Winter (Ice Fishing)


Month Avg. Temps °F (Hi/Lo)
December 23° / 6°
January 18° / -2°
February 24° / 2°

Ice fishing has been popular on Mille Lacs Lake in the past.  The special walleye regulations have hurt some of the past years for the ice fishing crowd.  Smallmouth bass have become the main species of fish on the lake, but they don’t feed well through the ice.  You’re going to be targeting walleye if you’re allowed to plus pike and panfish during the winter.