There aren’t too many lakes that have muskie in them in this area, but there are some good muskie lakes to fish if that’s what you are looking to target on your fishing trip. Deer Lake and Moose Lake both good enough numbers of muskie in them where you have a chance to catch one if you put in the time here. Moose Lake gives you a better chance to catch a big muskie in the 30 to 40 pound class, but big fish aren’t unheard of in Deer Lake. To learn more about the other waters in this area with muskie, take a look below.
Blandin Reservoir – (aka) Paper Mill Reservoir (Itasca County, MN)
Blandin Reservoir is a 449-acre impoundment on the Mississippi River, controlled by a dam at Blandin Paper Company in Grand Rapids, MN. Blandin Reservoir has minimal storage capacity and functions more as a flow-through system, minimizing water level fluctuations. This reservoir has a variety of fish that anglers can target. Fish include muskie, northern pike, walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Deer Lake (Itasca County, MN)
Deer Lake is located northeast of Deer River, Minnesota. There is one public access on the southwest part of the lake. This lake has a lot of development on it and it gets plenty of angling pressure. Muskie, walleye, smallmouth bass and northern pike are part of the management plan on Deer Lake. It is a good fishing lake for walleye, smallmouth bass and muskie. Many of the area fishing guides will take clients out on this lake. Other fish include largemouth bass, bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Little Moose Lake (Itasca County, MN)
Little Moose Lake is a class 31 lake located 14 miles northwest of Grand Rapids, MN. The outlet of Little Moose Lake flows into Moose Lake that flows into the Deer River and eventually to the Mississippi River. The lake has one earthen public access and low shoreline development. Fish include muskie, northern pike, largemouth bass, walleye, bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Mississippi River near Grand Rapids, MN
The Mississippi River runs through the Grand Rapids, Minnesota area. The river connects Blandin Reservoir and Jay Gould Lake. Part of the river opens up a little wider in this section. There are a variety of fish that inhabit the river. Anglers can target muskie, northern pike, walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
Moose Lake (Itasca County, MN)
Moose Lake is located 5 miles northeast of Deer River, MN. The lake has 3 public accesses and the shoreline is moderately developed. The lake management plan indicates that muskie and walleye are the primary species of management and northern pike are a secondary species of management. Other fish include largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
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.
