Minnesota is an amazing state for planning a fishing vacation. This state is home to some amazing bass fishing for largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. Big walleye, pike and muskie are available with plenty of bodies of water that offer lots of action too. You can fish big lakes, small lakes, rivers and streams. Take a look below to learn more about the best fishing destinations in the state of Minnesota.
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Featured Destinations – Quick Links
Learn more about our featured fishing destinations below.
Alexandria Lakes, MN
The Alexandria area has a nice blend of lakes, wooded hills and open prairie. Located in west central Minnesota, this area is very scenic with many recreational opportunities for the outdoors enthusiasts. Boating and fishing is very popular in the area.
Bemidji, MN
The Bemidji area lakes provide many recreational opportunities. With over 400 lakes in a 25 mile radius, there are plenty of options for boaters and fishermen. There are plenty of resorts and lodges as well as other accommodation for you to choose from.
Brainerd, MN
The Brainerd Lakes Area is located in northern Minnesota. With 465 lakes in the area, this area is loaded with recreational opportunities. There is plenty to do here for every age group. Have fun boating, fishing, hiking, golfing, shopping or dining. Numerous resorts and hotels are located in Brainerd giving you many options for either a family trip or a weekend fishing trip with friends.
Cook County, MN / Gunflint Trail
Cook County, Minnesota is home to some of the most scenic waters in all of Minnesota. The Gunflint Trail Scenic Byway is a 57-mile National Scenic Byway that takes you up over the ridgeline and through the woods as it provides access to the an outdoorsman paradise. Many of these lakes are located within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, which is mostly paddle only. There are plenty of lakes that also allow you to bring your fishing boat with an outboard motor, so you get a little bit of everything here. There is some excellent fishing here for a variety of fish to go along with miles of hiking and cross country skiing trails. You may also see a variety of animals as there are a variety of birds plus deer, moose, wolves and bears.
Crane Lake
Crane Lake, MN is located in northern Minnesota near the Minnesota – Canada border. The pristine waters of Crane Lake, Sand Point Lake and Namakan Lake are located in Voyageurs National Park. This area is a wonderful vacation destination to get away from it all. The unspoiled waters, pristine wilderness and outstanding fishing attract thousands of visitors every year.
Detroit Lakes, MN
If you are looking for lakes, the Detroit Lakes area has plenty. With over 400 lakes within 25 miles of Detroit Lakes, there is plenty of outdoor recreation for friends and family. The accommodations in Detroit Lakes give you plenty of options with many campgrounds, hotels and motels, resorts and more.
Ely, MN
Ely, Minnesota offers some of the finest outdoor adventures in the United States. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area provides some of the most spectacular fishing you’ll ever experience. The opportunities are endless in this region. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is the largest wilderness preserve east of the Rocky Mountains. You don’t have to be an expert to enjoy these waters. There are many canoe outfitters that can help you with all of the details of planning a trip into the Boundary Waters. You will also find numerous resorts along the lakes in the Ely area.
Grand Rapids, MN
Grand Rapids is a small town in Minnesota that is known for its outdoor recreation. The area lakes are popular among anglers and recreational boaters. There are so many lakes to fish and a variety of different fish to catch. Anglers fish for walleye, northern pike, muskie, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, perch and more.
Hackensack, MN
Hackensack, Minnesota is located just south of Leech Lake. Whether you choose to fish Leech Lake or fish one of the many productive lakes in the Hackensack area, you will have plenty of options with all of the great fishing up here. There are plenty of nice lakes to get out and do some boating without the crowds that you will find in many of the popular tourist destinations in Minnesota. While this area may be away from the crowds, there are several fishing resorts in this area to accommodate you.
Some anglers stay on some of the lakes in the Hackensack area even though they may spend a day or 2 fishing on Leech Lake. The smaller lakes give anglers the ability to fish on windy days, while Leech Lake may be too rough for some boats when the wind picks up. Anglers target muskie, northern pike, walleye, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass and panfish in the area lakes.
Kabetogama Lake
Kabetogama Lake is part of Voyageurs National Park on the Minnesota, Ontario border. This lake has miles of pristine, undeveloped shorelines and 25,000 acres of water. It is a popular vacation destination for people who love the outdoors. There are many resorts waiting to accommodate you and most of them have boat rentals available at the resort.
Walleye, sauger, northern pike and perch are the primary species of fish in this lake, however, the smallmouth bass and crappie fishing can be pretty good here too. Walleye are the preferred target by most anglers. Good numbers of fish plus some very big fish are possible here. For pike, it’s one of the better big fish lakes in Minnesota. Perch are available in big numbers, so expect to catch them while fishing for walleye.
Lake Pepin
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.
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. 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.
Lake Vermilion
Lake Vermilion is an excellent lake that has 40,000 acres of water, 365 islands and 1,200 miles of shoreline. If that wasn’t enough, it stretches 40 miles across the heart of Minnesota’s Arrowhead Region. This lake is a great place for an outdoor getaway. There are plenty of resorts along the lake to take care of your accommodations.
Lake Winnibigoshish
Lake Winnie is one of the best, if not the best, walleye lakes in Minnesota. Visitors love coming to Lake Winnie for the outdoor recreation. Boating, fishing, hunting, swimming, hiking and biking are very popular in this area. There are plenty of resorts around the lake to make your trip a comfortable one.
Leech Lake
Leech Lake is located mainly within the Leech Lake Indian Reservation and completely within the Chippewa National Forest in north central Minnesota. The Lake is one of the most popular tourism destinations in all of Minnesota. There are numerous recreational opportunities here such as fishing, boating, hunting, golfing, hiking, biking and much more. You will find a variety of accommodations here to fit your needs.
Longville, MN
Longville, Minnesota is located just south of Leech Lake. The Longville area has several good fishing lakes to fish, but this area is often overlooked because of the outstanding fishing on nearby Leech Lake.
This area has a lot of lakes to fish with northern pike, walleye and largemouth bass being the primary species of fish targeted here. There are many other types of fish here and plenty of smaller lakes that are always fishable even on windy days.
LOTW Northwest Angle
The Northwest Angle is a very unique destination. It is located in the United States, but you have to drive through Canada to get here. The border crossing is different here, so we recommend a quick online search to see the latest information for crossing the border here. Most people come here to fish and the fishing is very good in the Northwest Angle. Anglers catch so many species of fish here and with a little experience, they can usually catch big numbers of fish here too. You can catch smallmouth bass, walleye, northern pike, muskie, perch and crappie.
LOTW South Shore
The South Shore of Lake of the Woods is open water fishing. It is an awesome area, but the winds can definitely blow here and the waves can making fishing difficult. Bigger boats in this area are the norm, however, when the waters are calm, smaller boats do fine here too. This is a very popular walleye destination and maybe one of the best parts of the lake for catching good numbers of big fish. Anglers also catch northern pike, perch and some smallmouth bass here too.
Marcell, MN
Marcell, Minnesota is located in northern Minnesota in an area called the Edge of the Wilderness. This area has several resorts and some spectacular fishing on many different lakes. It’s a beautiful area and you won’t find the crowds in this area.
The area lakes can differ quite a bit as far as what the primary species of fish are in the Marcell, Minnesota area. However, if you look at this area as a whole, you can find some very good largemouth bass lakes up here. Northern pike are here as well. Walleye can be hit or miss, but there are enough good lakes up here for anglers to target them and catch enough for a fish fry on a regular basis. Smallmouth bass can be hit or miss on many of the lakes, but Big Turtle Lake makes up for the lakes that don’t have good smallmouth bass populations. This is a very good area for fishing.
Mille Lacs Lake
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.
Minneapolis, MN Metro Area
The Minneapolis Metro area is an outstanding destination for fishing. This is one of the best metro areas in the country for fishing. You have all kinds of every day comforts to go along with good fishing for so many different species of fish pretty much every direction from Minneapolis, Minnesota.
This area has some very good fishing for largemouth bass and northern pike. On many of the lakes in this area, you can catch good numbers of largemouth bass and pike. On some of the better waters, big pike and big largemouth bass in the 3 to 5 pound range are possible here.
Orr, MN
Orr, Minnesota is a small community located on the shores of Pelican Lake. Many people come here to visit Pelican Lake while others come here to use Orr as their base camp into some of the other areas in this part of the state. Kabetogama Lake is about 40 minutes away and you can get to the western part of Lake Vermilion in about 25 minutes. By staying in Orr, you have some options in exploring this area.
Otter Tail Country, MN
The towns in Otter Tail Country are Fergus Falls, Pelican Rapids and Perham. This area is home to over 1,000 lakes and streams. This is a great area for enjoying the outdoors whether it be fishing, boating, hiking or just getting outside in this beautiful part of Minnesota.
The lakes in this region offer excellent fishing for a variety of fish such as largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, northern pike, muskie and panfish. You have a lot of options and there are so many lakes here that you can usually find a place to get away from the crowds and catch some fish.
Outing, MN
Outing, Minnesota is not a very popular fishing vacation destination, although, it really is a great spot to grab some lodging if you have some time to experience the area. If you had a week here, you could easily fish the Whitefish Chain of Lakes, Leech Lake and Mille Lacs Lake. These lakes all provide some awesome fishing and are with 30 minutes to an hour from Outing, Minnesota.
There a few good lakes worth fishing and there are some fishing resorts in the area to accommodate you. It’s a great place to visit if you want to get away from the crowds, but still have good fishing close by. Anglers can target muskie, northern pike, walleye, bass and panfish in the area lakes.
Park Rapids, MN
Park Rapids, Minnesota is just under 30 miles from Walker, Minnesota and the south part of Leech Lake. This area is a popular tourist destination with tons of lakes, numerous resorts and excellent fishing opportunities.
This area is home to many lakes and there is some very good fishing for a variety of fish. Most anglers target walleye and northern pike here, but the largemouth bass fishing can be very good too for those of you who choose to target them. You have so many options with so many lakes that it’s going to be tough for many people to choose which lake to start on. Whatever you choose, you should be able to catch some fish.
Rainy Lake
Rainy Lake is located along the border of Minnesota and Canada near International Falls. A large portion of the lake surrounds Voyageurs National Park. Rainy Lake is a popular vacation destination for people that enjoy the outdoors. There aren’t a ton of places to stay here, but there are just enough to service the people who come here for a vacation.
Rainy Lake has some excellent fishing opportunities for northern pike, walleye and smallmouth bass. All 3 species of fish are here in good numbers and trophy fish are available too.
Rainy River
The Rainy River is a popular fishing river that runs along the border of the United States and Canada. Anglers usually come here to fish for walleye, pike, smallmouth bass or sturgeon.
Red River of the North
Red River of the North is a very long river with some outstanding fishing opportunities in many different sections of the river. It covers 550 miles while it flows from Breckenridge, Minnesota to Lake Winnipeg in Canada. This river also forms most of the border between Minnesota and North Dakota and then crosses into Canada.
Red River of the North is known as one of the best destinations for catching trophy-sized channel catfish. The river is home to over 70 species of fish, but the fish that most anglers will be targeting are catfish, walleye, northern pike and smallmouth bass.
Red Wing, MN
Red Wing, Minnesota is located on the Mississippi River and this town offers plenty of every day conveniences to go along with some good fishing year round. The Mississippi River is known for its walleye and sauger fishing. Other fish that can be caught in the Red Wing area include bass, pike, panfish, and catfish.
Southern Minnesota
Southern Minnesota has plenty of places to fish whether you want to river fish or target the many lakes in the area. The Mississippi River is very popular in this part of the state because of its tremendous walleye fishery. The numerous lakes in the area also are great for largemouth bass, northern pike and panfish with some walleye mixed in too.
Upper Red Lake
Upper Red Lake is known for its excellent walleye and northern pike fishery. Back in the mid-1990s, the walleye population was nearly crippled because of over harvesting. The Red Lake Nation control most of Upper Red Lake and Lower Red Lake and only tribal members are allowed to fish these areas that are controlled by Red Lake Nation. Commercial fishing took its toll and depleted a majority of the walleye on the lake.
The lake has recovered because of an extensive stocking program and new regulations. If you’re looking to catch fish, this lake delivers. The state-controlled section of the lake is popular among anglers and there are plenty of lodging options to accommodate you on our trip.
Whitefish Chain of Lakes
The Whitefish Area of Minnesota features the Whitefish Chain of Lakes, which is a very popular chain of lakes for boating and fishing. There are many resorts here and plenty of places to find a bite to eat. This region is located just north of Brainerd, Minnesota.
Wilmar Lakes Area, MN
The Willmar Lakes Area is a smaller lake community that lies a couple of hours west of Minneapolis, Minnesota. There are plenty of lakes in the area with a few good-sized lakes and then a bunch of smaller lakes.
