Lake Miltona & Lobster Lake are the lakes to fish in this area if you are targeting muskie, however, Lake Miltona has been a much better muskie lake than Lobster Lake. Both lakes give anglers the chance to catch a muskie and on Miltona, you have a real chance to catch a fish above 50 inches. You may have to put in some time, but there are some big muskie cruising around in this lake. There are some fishing guides in this area that can take you on a guided muskie fishing trip.
Lake Miltona (Douglas County, MN)
Lake Miltona is a large (5,724 acres), moderately fertile lake that is located north of Alexandria between the towns of Miltona and Leaf Valley. Its maximum depth exceeds 100 feet, although, almost half of this lake is 15 feet or less in depth. The muskie fishing is what stands out most about Lake Miltona because most of the area lakes do not have muskie available. Muskie up to and above 50 inches are possible on Lake Miltona. Other species of fish that anglers target are largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, yellow perch, black crappie and bluegill. Largemouth bass outnumber smallmouth bass, but there are good sized largemouth and smallmouth bass in this lake. Northern pike tend to run on the small side, but there are some fish available to catch here.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Lake Oscar (Douglas County, MN)
Lake Oscar is a shallow, 1,040-acre basin located west of Holmes City in southwestern Douglas County. This lake has a maximum depth around 20 feet. Lake Oscar’s primary management is for walleye, but muskie and sunfish are of secondary importance. Fish in this lake include walleye, muskie, northern pike, largemouth bass, bluegill, perch and other species of fish.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Lobster Lake (Douglas County, MN)
Lobster Lake is a 1300-acre, natural lake located about 5 miles west of Alexandria. The lake has a maximum depth of 65 feet with a mean depth of 15 feet. This lake has many points, arms and bays which give anglers lots of options when fishing here. The water is moderately clear with 10 feet of visibility being common. The main species of fish on this lake are largemouth bass, northern pike, crappie and bluegill. Muskie and walleye are also stocked in Lobster Lake. Perch, rock bass and bullhead are also in the lake.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Using Leaders for Muskie
Muskie have some serious teeth. Use quality steel leaders to avoid bite-offs. If you are fishing clear water, you may need to go with a fluorocarbon leader to get bit. Most anglers will not go any lighter than 100 lb. fluorocarbon for muskie and don’t be shocked if you lose a big fish due to a bite-off. Some anglers go as heavy as 140 to 150 pound fluorocarbon. Ideally, you want to be as stealthy as you can so you can get more bites, but if you go too light with the fluorocarbon, you risk losing fish and possibly killing some big fish due to the lures getting stuck in their mouths.
Best Baits for Muskie
There are many types of baits to target muskie. Anglers don’t have as many options when using live baits since many of the fish that muskie eat can not be used as bait. Suckers and big chubs are usually the best options for most anglers that want to use live bait. For artificial lures, there are a variety of big baits to throw. Most anglers fish with bucktail spinners, some type of swimbait, topwater lure or jerkbait when chasing muskie.
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Best Rigs for Muskie
There aren’t too many different rigs for muskie fishing because you only have so many options for throwing some of the gigantic baits needed. Also, most anglers use lures for muskie or big sucker minnows, so you really don’t need too many rigs to target muskie. However, there are still several rigs you should know about, especially if you are going to be using live bait.
The Carolina rig, drop shot rig and quick strike rig are some of the best rigs for muskie.
Best Techniques for Muskie
Anglers use a variety of techniques for muskie. Casting is most popular, but jigging and trolling are also very effective techniques. Learn more about some of the best techniques for muskie page.
Learn More About Muskie
Our muskie fishing section has tons of tips on the best lures, live baits, where to catch them and how to catch them.
Visit our muskie fishing website to learn more.
