The White Chain of Lakes do not have very many smallmouth bass in them compared to the other game fish, especially largemouth bass. Most anglers will catch an occasional smallmouth bass on accident here while fishing for other fish. You will find some anglers that do report some pretty good smallmouth bass fishing on the chain, but it’s definitely a largemouth bass fishery here. If you have the urge to go fishing for smallmouth bass, spend a day on Mille Lacs Lake. It’s a world class bass fishery and it’s about an hour drive from the Whitefish Chain. Learn more about the area lakes that have smallmouth bass in them.
Bertha Lake
Bertha Lake totals 334 acres and is part of the Whitefish Chain of Lakes. There is no public access on Bertha Lake, but you can get here from a channel on Clamshell Lake or Whitefish Lake. It has a maximum depth of 64 feet with 43% of the lake being 15 feet deep or less. The lakeshore is heavily developed with around 150 homes. There are catchable numbers of walleye in this lake with some nice quality sized fish as well. Good numbers of northern pike are in Bertha Lake and while most pike run on the small side, there are some quality pike in here too. Largemouth bass are also available in good numbers. Other fish include smallmouth bass, bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Big Trout Lake
Big Trout Lake is a part of the Whitefish Chain of Lakes. This lake is the only lake in the Brainerd, Minnesota area that is stocked with lake trout. Big Trout Lake totals 1,342 acres and has a maximum depth of 128 feet. A public boat access is located on the eastern shore or boaters can access through a channel from Whitefish Lake. The lake is heavily developed with more than 200 homes. Anglers can target a variety of fish here. Northern pike and largemouth bass are here in good numbers. Walleye numbers were low the last time the Minnesota DNR did a status of the fishery on this lake. Lake trout are present in the lake to go along with other fish such as smallmouth bass, bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Whitefish Lake
Whitefish Lake is a part of the Whitefish Chain of Lakes. This lake serves as one of the DNR’s primary walleye egg take sites at the mouth of the Pine River. Because of this, Whitefish Lake is stocked annually. Whitefish Lake is a big lake that is broken into 2 sections – Upper Whitefish Lake and Lower Whitefish Lake. There are a variety of fish that anglers can target here. According to the DNR’s most recent status of the fishery, which was done in 2011, walleye are not here in abundant numbers, but there are definitely catchable numbers of walleye in this lake and there are fishing guides that fish this lake quite often. Northern pike and largemouth bass are abundant in the lake and there are some quality sized fish here too. Other fish in the lake include smallmouth bass, bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Learn More About Smallmouth Bass
Our smallmouth bass section is huge with information on the best live baits, lures, where to catch them and how to catch them. Visit our smallmouth bass page to learn more.
