Crappie, perch and bluegill are available in many of the area lakes. There are a number of lakes and many of them are smaller, so don’t expect to find large numbers of big panfish, but there are plenty of eater-sized panfish in many of the lakes around here. With Leech Lake being fairly close, you can also try fishing there for many different types of panfish. You will find larger numbers of big panfish in Leech Lake. Take a look below to learn more about the panfish action in the area lakes.
Blackwater Lake
Blackwater Lake is a 767 acre lake located near Longville, MN that has 7.5 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 67 feet. There is a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) public access on the north shore of the east bay off County Road 11. This lake is a good lake for northern pike and largemouth bass fishing. Other game fish include smallmouth bass and walleye. Panfish include bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Girl Lake
Girl Lake is a 406 acre lake with a maximum depth of 81 feet and 67% of the lake is 15 feet deep or less. This lake has good numbers of northern pike with some big fish available. Other game fish include largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and walleye. Panfish include bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Inguadona Lake
Inguadona Lake is a 1,116 acre lake with a maximum depth of 79 feet. There is a state-owned public access on the southeast shore. Inguadona Lake is a good lake for northern pike and walleye. Some big muskie are also in the lake. Other fish include largemouth bass, bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Little Boy Lake
Little Boy Lake is a 1,372 acre lake located about 2 miles south of Longville, MN. Little Boy Lake is connected to Wabedo Lake by a navigable channel. Little Boy Lake has a maximum depth of 74 feet. The lake is primarily managed for muskie, northern pike and walleye. It is managed secondarily for smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, bluegill, black crappie, cisco (tullibee) and yellow perch. Little Boy Lake is known as a good walleye fishery with some quality pike here too.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Long Lake
Long Lake is a 926 acre lake with a maximum depth of 115 feet. There is a DNR-owned public access on the northwest shore of the lake. Long Lake provides some good fishing for northern pike, largemouth bass, crappie and bluegill. Walleye are also available in this lake, but in low numbers. Rock bass and yellow perch are also available.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Mule Lake
Mule Lake is a 456 acre lake located south of Longville, Minnesota that has 7.3 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 47 feet. The lake is primarily managed for northern pike, walleye, and yellow perch, and secondarily for smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, bluegill and black crappie. This lake has very good numbers of northern pike to go along with good largemouth bass and smallmouth bass fishing.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Townline Lake
Townline Lake has an area of 510 acres and is located near Longville, MN. Townline Lake has 6.7 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 11 feet. This lake is primarily managed for northern pike and bluegill and secondarily for largemouth bass and black crappie.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Wabedo Lake
Wabedo Lake is a 1,185 acre lake located about 2 miles south of the City of Longville, MN. It is connected to Little Boy Lake by a navigable channel. The lake is managed primarily for muskie, northern pike, walleye and crappie. This lake has some quality pike and walleye in it. Secondarily, it is managed for bluegill, cisco, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and yellow perch. Other fish include rock bass and perch.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Woman Lake
Woman Lake is a 5496 acre lake with a maximum depth of 54 feet. It is one of the better lakes in this area with several species of fish to target. This is a good lake for walleye and northern pike. Largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, muskie, bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch are also available in the lake.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Some of the Bigger Bodies of Water That Aren’t Too Far Away
Leech Lake
Leech Lake is located mainly within the Leech Lake Indian Reservation and completely within the Chippewa National Forest in north central Minnesota. The Lake is one of the most popular tourism destinations in all of Minnesota. There are numerous recreational opportunities here such as fishing, boating, hunting, golfing, hiking, biking and much more. You will find a variety of accommodations here to fit your needs.
The primary species of fish that most anglers come to Leech Lake are walleye, northern pike and muskie. All 3 species are here in good enough numbers for anglers to target them and catch them. There are some trophy-sized fish here too for all 3 species of fish.
This lake has such a diverse fishery. If you’re just looking for action, you can fish with live bait and catch a little bit of everything. For those of you looking to target largemouth bass, there is a solid fishery here and most anglers don’t even think about fishing for bass here. Find the weeds, fish shallow and don’t be shocked when a pike hits your bass lures.
Mille Lacs Lake
Mille Lacs Lake is Minnesota’s second-largest lake and it covers 132,000 surface acres. Mille Lacs is a great lake for outdoor recreation, but it has been known for its outstanding walleye fishery over the years. There was a walleye collapse and they are hoping to be coming out of that now, however, there are plenty of restrictions on the lake as far as keeping walleye throughout the seasons. This has been a huge debate on the lake. Fortunately, the smallmouth bass fishing is off the charts good right now which is helping make up for the walleye issues. Mille Lacs also offers good fishing for a variety of other fish such as muskie, northern pike, perch and even largemouth bass. Crappie, bluegill and other sunfish round out the fishery.
Visit our Mille Lacs Lake Section
Whitefish Chain of Lakes
The Whitefish Area of Minnesota features the Whitefish Chain of Lakes, which is a very popular chain of lakes for boating and fishing. There are many resorts here and plenty of places to find a bite to eat. This region is located just north of Brainerd, Minnesota.
This area is known for its fast action largemouth bass fishing and some solid fishing for pike and walleye. You will find some good-sized fish in the Whitefish Chain, but don’t expect to have all the good fishing spots to yourself. This chain of lakes has a lot of people that fish these waters every summer. It’s a very good fishing destination if you’re looking to catch some fish and have some fun around the water.
Visit our White Chain of Lakes section.
