Bream or Sunfish (Bluegill, Redear, Pumpkinseed, etc.)
Bluegill and other sunfish are common in Lake Pepin. Fish the shoreline cover in the spring or early summer. Once the spawn is over, fish deeper and look for schools of fish. If you can find some of the better schools, the fishing can be pretty good. There are some quality panfish in Lake Pepin.
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Crappie
There is a good population of crappie in Lake Pepin. Some anglers never talk them, however, the anglers that know how to target them will usually report some solid catches when they do go after them. Finding wood and weeds in deeper water would be good places to start. If you can get out during the spring, you can catch them much shallower as they move in to spawn.
If you fish with smaller minnows, you will have a better change to run into some of these fish too. So, while walleye fishing, if you choose to go with a larger fathead minnow instead of a chub or small sucker, you will run into more crappie while fishing. The down side is that you may run into smaller walleye by downsizing baits a bit. The crappie are here if you’re willing to put in the work and learn the river.
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White Bass
If you just want action, fishing for white bass might be for you. On Lake Pepin, there is a good population of them and they are usually under fished by most anglers. The spring can provide some very good fishing for white bass, but if you target them, you should be able to catch some of them from spring through fall. Most of the anglers that fish with smaller minnows will run into white bass as well as crappie, smaller walleye and sauger, perch and some smallmouth bass too. If you’re fishing with the bigger minnows for walleye, you may not run into as many white bass, but these fish are here and there are some good-sized ones too.
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Yellow Perch
There are good numbers of perch in Lake Pepin. Most anglers catch them while fishing for walleye with live bait. If you target them specifically, you should be able to catch some fish. Fish the weeds and rock and you should be able to find some perch. Early in the year, you will find some fish in the shallows, but once the spawn is over, you’re going to have better success fishing deeper.
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