This area has so many lakes to fish, although, most of the lakes are better for largemouth bass than smallmouth bass. There are some good smallmouth bass lakes in this region though. Ten Mile Lake and North Lida Lake definitely stand out. You can also catch some smallmouth bass on Otter Tail Lake. The Otter Tail River is another good place to catch smallmouth bass. You will catch a lot of smaller smallmouth bass on the river, but there are some bigger smallies here as well. To learn more about the other lakes to target smallmouth bass, take a look below.
Clear Lake (Otter Tail County, MN)
Clear Lake is a 352 acre eutrophic (fertile) lake located in southwest Otter Tail County approximately 2 miles south of Dalton, MN. The maximum depth is 29 feet and 43% of the lake is 15 feet deep or less. Northern pike, walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, bluegill, crappie and perch are available in the lake.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Crystal Lake (Otter Tail County, MN)
Crystal Lake is a 1,317 acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in northwestern Otter Tail County approximately 6 miles northeast of Pelican Rapids, MN. Crystal Lake is connected to Lizzie Lake by a navigable culvert under County Road 31. The maximum depth is 55 feet and 51% of the lake is 15 feet deep or less. Walleye, northern pike and largemouth bass are the primary game fish in the lake. Smallmouth bass are present in low numbers. Panfish include bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
East Loon Lake (Otter Tail County, MN)
East Loon Lake is a 1,048 acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in north central Otter Tail County. The lake has a maximum depth of 105 feet with 56% of the lake is 15 feet deep or less. The dominant game fish in this lake are northern pike and largemouth bass. Walleye are also present in the lake, but in low numbers. There are also some smallmouth bass in the lake. Panfish include bluegill, crappie and perch.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Lake Franklin (Otter Tail County, MN)
Franklin Lake is a 1,336 acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in northwestern Otter Tail County approximately 10 miles northeast of Pelican Rapids, MN. The maximum depth is 48 feet and 56% of the lake is less than 15 feet deep. Northern pike, walleye, crappie and bluegill are the dominant fish in the lake. Other fish include largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, rock bass and perch.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
North Lake Lida (Otter Tail County, MN)
North Lida Lake is a 5,564 acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in northwestern Otter Tail County approximately 5 miles east of Pelican Rapids, MN. North Lida Lake is connected to South Lida Lake by a navigable culvert under State Highway 108 along the south shoreline. North Lida Lake is also connected to Lizzie Lake via a non-navigable culvert under County Road 4. The maximum depth is 58 feet and 43% of the lake is 15 feet deep or less. North Lida Lake is one of the better lakes to fish in the area. Fishing is good for walleye, northern pike, smallmouth bass, crappie and bluegill. Other fish include largemouth bass, rock bass and perch.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Otter Tail Lake (Otter Tail County, MN)
Located in the heart of Otter Tail County is Otter Tail Lake, the largest lake in the county at 13,728 surface acres. Otter Tail Lake is part of the Otter Tail River chain of lakes. Rush Lake, Big Pine Lake and Little Pine Lake are located upstream and Deer Lake, East Lost Lake and West Lost lake are located downstream. Otter Tail Lake has a maximum depth of 120 feet and 57% of the lake is less than 15 feet deep. It is a very popular lake and it is known for its good walleye and perch fishery. Northern pike are also available and small numbers of smallmouth bass are in the lake. Other panfish include bluegill and rock bass.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Pickerel Lake (Otter Tail County, MN)
Pickerel Lake is an 829 acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in central Otter Tail County 1 mile north of Maine, MN. The maximum depth is 78 feet with 33% of the lake being 15 feet or less in depth. Pickerel Lake is a good fishing lake for a variety of fish. Most anglers target walleye, smallmouth bass and largemouth bass. Northern pike are present in the lake. Panfish include bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Prairie Lake (Otter Tail County, MN)
Prairie Lake is a 1,016 acre mesotrophic (moderate fertile) lake located in northwestern Otter Tail County. Prairie Lake is part of the Otter Tail River Watershed. The Pelican River inlet is located along the northeast shoreline while the outlet is located along the south shoreline. The maximum depth of Prairie Lake is 22 feet and 79% of the lake is 15 feet deep or less. Northern pike, walleye, largemouth bass, and bluegill are the dominant fish in the lake. Other fish include smallmouth bass and perch.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
South Lida Lake (Otter Tail County, MN)
South Lida Lake is an 856 acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in northwest Otter Tail County approximately 5 miles east of Pelican Rapids, MN. South Lida Lake is connected to North Lida Lake by a navigable culvert under State Highway 108 along the north shoreline of the lake. The maximum depth is 48 feet and 42% of the lake is 15 feet deep or less. Walleye, northern pike, largemouth bass, crappie and bluegill are the dominant fish in this lake. Other fish include smallmouth bass, rock bass and perch.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Sybil Lake (Otter Tail County, MN)
Sybil Lake is a 706 acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake located in north central Otter Tail County approximately 4 miles south of Vergas, MN. Sybil Lake is connected to Loon Lake via an unnavigable inlet along the west shoreline. Sybil Lake has a maximum depth of 74 feet and 60% of the lake is 15 feet deep or less. Primary game fish in this lake are walleye, northern pike and largemouth bass. Smallmouth bass are also present in the lake. Panfish include bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Ten Mile Lake (Otter Tail County, MN)
Ten Mile Lake is located in southwestern Otter Tail County approximately 5 miles southwest of Dalton, MN. It is a 1,411 acre mesotrophic (moderately fertile) lake that is part of the Pomme de Terre River Watershed. The Pomme de Terre River inlet is located along the north shoreline while the outlet is located along the south shoreline. The inlet is navigable by boat through a culvert into North Ten Mile Lake. The maximum depth of Ten Mile Lake is 51 feet and 42% of the lake is less than 15 feet deep. Anglers target walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike and bluegill in the lake.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Best Baits for Smallmouth Bass
Smallmouth bass will eat a variety of different baits. Minnows, nightcrawlers and leeches are definitely the best live baits for smallmouth bass.
When it comes to artificial lures, you have lots of options. Soft plastic crayfish, twin tail grubs, worms and minnow baits are very effective. Hard baits such as crankbaits, jerkbaits and spinners also work great.
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Live Baits for Smallmouth Bass
Best Rigs for Smallmouth Bass
With so many different soft plastics to use, you have so many different rigs that work great for smallmouth bass. The drop shot rig, a simple jighead, standup jigheads and scrounger jigheads are some of the best rigs for smallmouth bass. To see our full list, take a look at our best rigs for smallmouth bass page.
Best Techniques for Smallmouth Bass
There are so many different techniques you can use for smallmouth bass since they can be found shallow, deep and anywhere in between. Anglers usually cast for them, but jigging, drop shotting and drifting are also some great techniques for smallmouth bass.
To learn more, take a look at our best techniques for smallmouth bass page.
Learn More About Smallmouth Bass
Our smallmouth bass fishing section has tons of tips on the best lures, live baits, where to catch them and how to catch them.
Visit our smallmouth bass fishing website to learn more.
