The Minneapolis Metro area is home to some excellent largemouth bass fishing. For many anglers in Minnesota, they prefer to target walleye, muskie and/or panfish. Largemouth bass aren’t on the radar for so many anglers and for the ones that are, catch and release combined with some special regulations has helped this area turn into a very good largemouth bass destination. There are plenty of lakes where you can catch a lot of bass plus some big bass lakes too with 3 to 5 pound fish possible.
Lake Minnetonka
Lake Minnetonka is a 14,528-acre lake and it is only about 15 to 25 miles away from Minneapolis, depending on what part of the lake you are fishing. The lake is an irregular shape with numerous bays and islands, which helps make up around 125 miles of shoreline. Lake Minnetonka is known for its tremendous largemouth bass fishery. You can also catch northern pike, walleye, smallmouth bass, muskie and panfish.
Chisago Lakes
The Chisago Lakes area is home to some excellent bass fishing to go along with quality northern pike and panfish too. Some anglers do catch some walleye, but this area is known for its excellent largemouth bass fishing.
Prior Lakes Area
The Prior Lakes area offers that small town lake community vibe and is located about 30 minutes southwest of Minneapolis. The lakes here offer good fishing for a variety of species. The lakes right in town are North Prior & South Prior Lakes. Head just outside of town and there are many other lakes that you can fish as well. Anglers target largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, muskie, panfish and more here.
Bald Eagle Lake
Bald Eagle Lake is located just north of the City of White Bear Lake. It has been the most popular muskie lake in the east metro area and it offers plenty of options for other fish too. Anglers target walleye, largemouth bass and northern pike here and some quality fish are present in the lake. Bluegill and crappie are here in good numbers with a low abundance of perch.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Forest Lake
Forest Lake is a popular fishing lake in the metro area. Largemouth bass and walleye are the main targets for most anglers here. This lake does have a lot of vegetation growth in the summer with plenty of recreational boaters, so you may have to get out early on the weekends or during the week if you want to hit all your favorite fishing spots without being crowded. Other species of fish here are muskie, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Lake Waconia
Lake Waconia is a 2,996-acre lake with a maximum depth of 37 feet. It is located in north central Carver County, just north of the city of Waconia. It is a good lake for a variety of fish. It is managed for walleye and muskie, but the lake has better numbers of crappie, bluegill and largemouth bass. Northern pike are big in this lake, but they are not here in large numbers.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Mississippi River Pool 2
Pool 2 is the portion of the Mississippi River from above the dam at Hastings, Minnesota and extends upstream to the Ford Dam. Backwater lakes in this area include Baldwin Lake, River Lake, Spring Lake, Mooers Lake, Pig’s Eye Lake and Grey Cloud Slough.
Anglers target a variety of fish in the river such as catfish, walleye, sauger, smallmouth bass, white bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie and largemouth bass.
White Bear Lake
White Bear Lake is a popular lake for fishing in the east metro area. Largemouth bass fishing is good here with good numbers of bass and some quality bass too. Northern pike are here too but they run on the small side. Anglers target walleye more in the spring and fall. Panfish include
angling lake. Largemouth Bass are the favorite target of summer angling. Northern Pike are easily caught, but they tend to be small (18 – 22 inches). Walleye angling is better early in the season and in the fall. Anglers should be prepared to compete with recreational boaters, especially during weekends and holidays.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Best Baits for Largemouth Bass
Largemouth bass will eat so many different baits and there are so many different lures that are made for catching these fish. Anglers have more options than they really need, but since we have all these options, it’s nice to know about the different baits that are available.
Minnows, nightcrawlers and leeches are definitely the best live baits for largemouth bass. When it comes to artificial lures, you have so many options. Soft plastic worms, lizards, crayfish baits and minnows work great. Hard baits such as crankbaits, topwater lures, spinnerbaits, jigs and jerkbaits are also all awesome choices for largemouth bass.
To learn more, take a look at our pages below.
Best Live Baits for Largemouth Bass
Best Lures for Largemouth Bass
Best Rigs for Largemouth Bass
There are so many different rigs for largemouth bass. While you definitely don’t need to use all of them to consistently catch bass, it is important to learn how some of the rigs will help you fish certain areas or certain baits in a way to catch more fish. Most good bass anglers will use several different rigs in a variety of situations to consistently catch quality largemouth bass.
The standup jighead, Texas rig, drop shot rig, wacky rig and Carolina rig are definitely some of the best rigs for largemouth bass page.
Best Techniques for Largemouth Bass
There are many different techniques that are used for largemouth bass fishing. Casting a variety of baits to cover water is most popular, however, flipping & pitching is one of the best ways to catch bass around shallow water cover.
To learn more, take a look at our best techniques for largemouth bass page.
Learn More About Largemouth Bass
Our largemouth bass fishing section has tons of tips on the best lures, live baits, where to catch them and how to catch them.
Visit our largemouth bass fishing website to learn more.
