Big Spirt Lake
East Okoboji Lake is 1,835 acres with an average depth of 9 to 10 feet and a maximum depth of 22 feet. The lake is has a lot of homes on it and about 85% of the shoreline is developed. This lake is smaller and much shallower than Big Spirit Lake, but it still is good fishery for a variety of fish species. Spring through early summer provides good fishing for a variety of fish such as bass and panfish. This lake is loaded with a variety of panfish, so if you’re just looking for action, this can be a fun lake to fish. There are some very nice muskie available in this lake with many anglers having success catching nice muskie from shore at the Okoboji Spillway. The walleye fishing can be very good in the spring and fall, but in the summer, anglers usually report better catches of walleye out in Big Spirit Lake during the summer months.
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East Okoboji Lake
East Okoboji Lake is 1,835 acres with an average depth of 9 to 10 feet and a maximum depth of 22 feet. The lake is has a lot of homes on it and about 85% of the shoreline is developed. This lake is smaller and much shallower than Big Spirit Lake, but it still is good fishery for a variety of fish species. Spring through early summer provides good fishing for a variety of fish such as bass and panfish. This lake is loaded with a variety of panfish, so if you’re just looking for action, this can be a fun lake to fish. There are some very nice muskie available in this lake with many anglers having success catching nice muskie from shore at the Okoboji Spillway. The walleye fishing can be very good in the spring and fall, but in the summer, anglers usually report better catches of walleye out in Big Spirit Lake during the summer months.
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West Okoboji Lake
West Okoboji Lake is a very popular fishing lake and is right up there with Big Spirit Lake for producing a lot of quality fish all season long. This lake covers more than 3,800 acres and it is a very popular lake for fishing and boating. West Okoboji Lake is known for producing trophy fish, including the state record tiger muskie, northern pike and smallmouth bass. It is home to so many more species of fish including walleye, largemouth bass, yellow perch, crappie, bluegill, yellow bass, white bass, catfish and more.
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Upper Gar Lake
Upper Gar Lake is is a very small lake that connects Lake Minnewashta to East Lake Okoboji. Known for its 5 mph speed zone, this lake does have a boat ramp and some pretty good fishing at times. It is a best lake to fish in the spring and early summer. There are a lot of boat docks on the lake and it does have one shoreline with very little development. The 2 bridges, at each ends of the lake, can be productive fishing spots when there is some current running through them. However, a lot of boats come through this area, so the boat traffic does make it tough to fish these spots. The smaller lakes on this chain are better known for panfish, however, anglers do catch some walleye, pike, bass and even muskie are possible.
Lower Gar Lake
Lower Gar Lake is a smaller lake on the chain, however, at 242 acres, it isn’t tiny. With an average depth of 4 feet only, this lake is limited as a fishery. In the spring, you can find a lot of fish in this lake since water temperatures warm quick. Anglers target a variety of panfish and some game fish too, but the deeper lakes in the chain are definitely much better fishing lakes. There is a good amount of development on the lake with a lot of docks that will usually hold a lot of panfish.
Minnewashta Lake
Minnewashta Lake covers 680 acres and has an average depth of 10 feet. It drops down to around 16 feet at its deepest point, which allows a good amount of fish to stay in this lake throughout the summer even while water temperatures rise.
With you may experience some decent fishing on this lake in the summer, the spring time is the time to fish this lake if you want to give yourself a chance to catch some better numbers of quality fish. In the spring, when the water is higher, there will be some current running through the bridge that connects Upper Gar Lake to Minnewashta Lake. This is a good spot for walleye, northern pike and panfish. During higher water times in the summer and fall, this spot can also produce. The current definitely attracts and helps position fish near the bridge.
Beyond the bridge, this lake does have some other areas that will hold fish. If you fish the drop-offs along the shorelines, you should run into a lot of panfish in the lake. Some anglers do catch some nice bass and pike in the lake too, but the larger lakes in the chain do offer anglers a better chance to catch quality game fish in the summer and fall months.
