The Minneapolis metro area is home to some very good northern pike fishing. There are plenty of lakes that offer good fishing for action and there are some lakes that offer good fishing for big pike too. Catching pike in the mid to upper 30 inch range is easily possible here if you target them and a pike close to and even over 40 inches is possible here.
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.
St. Croix River
The St. Croix River is a little farther from Minneapolis, especially if you head up to Taylor Falls. The Taylor Falls area is very close to the Chisago Lakes area, so combining a day on the river with a Chisago Lakes trip could work out perfect. The St. Croix River is known for its smallmouth bass and white bass fisheries in this area. You can also catch many other species of fish here such as walleye, catfish, northern pike, muskie and more.
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 Northern Pike
Northern pike are known for eating just about everything they can get the mouths on and there is definitely some truth to that. For the most part, if it swims, pike may eat it. There are some baits that definitely will catch more pike than others though. Spinners, crankbaits, spoons, swimbaits and soft plastics are some of the best lures for targeting pike. Live baits such as minnows and perch are great baits too.
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Best Rigs for Northern Pike
There are many different rigs you can use for northern pike, however, since pike are so aggressive, you really don’t need to use as many of them as you would if you were trying to get good at largemouth bass fishing. For most situations, you can keep it real simple with a jighead and a minnow or soft plastic bait. To learn about some of the rigs that you can use, take a look at our best rigs for northern pike page.
Best Techniques for Northern Pike
Anglers catch pike with many different techniques. Casting, trolling and drifting are most popular ways to target pike, but there are some other methods that also work well too.
To learn more, take a look at our best techniques for northern pike page.
Learn More About Northern Pike
Our northern pike fishing section has tons of tips on the best lures, live baits, where to catch them and how to catch them.
Visit our northern pike fishing website to learn more.
