There are too many lakes to list here, but many of the lakes in the Park Rapids area have crappie, perch and bluegill in them. If you are looking to fish for panfish, you should be able to catch plenty of fish with some eater-sized panfish mixed in too. You just may have to sort through the smaller ones to find enough bigger fish that you can eat. Quality-sized panfish can fluctuate quite a bit from lake to lake from year to year on many of the smaller lakes. The bigger bodies of water will usually give you a better chance to find some bigger quality fish if you put in the time to find them.
Bad Axe Lake (Hubbard County, MN)
Bad Axe Lake has a surface area of 271 acres and a maximum depth of 39 feet. There is no public access, but there is a fishing resort on the lake. Bad Axe Lake good numbers of largemouth bass and panfish. Northern pike and smallmouth bass are also present in this lake.
Bad Axe has a good population of panfish with crappie, bluegill, pumpkinseed, perch and small numbers of rock bass too. There are good numbers and quality crappie, bluegill, pumpkinseed and perch in the lake.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Big Sand Lake (Hubbard County, MN)
Big Sand Lake has a surface area of 1,635 acres and a maximum depth of 135 feet. A public access is located on the southeast shore of the lake at the outlet. Access with small boats is also available from the inlet connecting to Lake Emma and from the outlet connecting to Lake Ida. Big Sand Lake is a very good walleye lake and it also has some good smallmouth bass fishing available. Other game fish include largemouth bass and northern pike. There aren’t great numbers of northern pike in the lake, but there are some trophy-sized pike in this lake. Panfish include bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
The rock bass are here in good numbers and will give anglers lots of action. Bluegill are here in good numbers too, but don’t expect to find lots of big fish. There are some quality perch and crappie in the lake, but don’t expect to find big numbers of them.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Big Stony Lake (Hubbard County, MN)
Big Stony Lake has a surface area of 343 acres with a maximum depth of 24 feet. A public access is located on the southwest shore of the lake. On Big Stony Lake, the game fish that are available are northern pike, largemouth bass and walleye. Panfish include bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
Big Stony is a popular lake for panfish. The lake usually offers some decent fishing for crappie, bluegill, pumpkinseed and perch.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Boulder Lake (Hubbard County, MN)
Boulder Lake has a surface area of 360 acres and a maximum depth of 28 feet. A public access with a concrete ramp is located on the west shore. Anglers target walleye, northern pike, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and panfish such as bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
Boulder Lake is not a panfish factory, but there are moderate numbers of panfish in the lake and some quality crappie and perch are available.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Duck Lake (Hubbard County, MN)
Duck Lake has a surface area of 326 acres and a maximum depth of 23 feet. There is a state owned public access located on the southwest shore of the lake off Township Road 108. Duck Lake is known as a good lake for walleye, largemouth bass and panfish. Walleye are abundant in this lake and there are some quality-sized fish available. Northern pike are also available, but in low numbers. There are some nice-sized pike in this lake though. Smallmouth bass are present in the lake in low numbers. Panfish include bluegill, crappie and perch.
There are some quality bluegill and crappie in the lake, but don’t expect to find too many perch or pumpkinseed here.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Eagle Lake (Hubbard County, MN)
Eagle Lake has a surface area of 423 acres and a maximum depth of 77 feet. There is a public access located on the west shore of the lake. Eagle Lake is part of the Island, Eagle, and Potato chain of lakes with connections to Island Lake upstream and Potato Lake downstream. Boating access in the river connecting these lakes is possible with small to medium size boats, but conditions can vary with water level fluctuations. The primary game fish on this lake are walleye, northern pike and largemouth bass. Panfish include bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
The lake’s panfish population is kept in check, so don’t expect to find huge numbers of panfish on your fishing trip here, but there are plenty of quality fish that anglers like to target. Anglers do catch some big crappie, bluegill and rock bass on Eagle Lake.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
East Crooked Lake (Hubbard County, MN)
East Crooked Lake has a surface area of 379 acres and a maximum depth of 96 feet. There is a state owned public access located on the north end of the lake off Township Road 13. This lake has good numbers of walleye with some trophy fish available. Northern pike, largemouth bass and smallmouth bass are the other game fish available in this lake. Panfish include bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
East Crooked supports a moderate population of panfish with some quality crappie, bluegill and rock bass available.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Eighth Crow Wing Lake (Hubbard County, MN)
Eighth Crow Wing Lake totals 492 acres and has a maximum depth of 30 feet. A public access is located on the northeast corner of the lake and boating access is also available from the channel (Crow Wing River) connecting to Ninth Crow Wing Lake then Tenth Crow Wing Lake. There is a small dam at the outlet of Eighth Crow Wing, which restricts boating to Seventh Crow Wing Lake. This lake has some very good fishing opportunities for walleye, northern pike, largemouth bass and a variety of panfish. This lake is known for having a lot of bigger northern pike. You have a good chance of catching pike over 30 inches here with the possibility of catching some approaching and above 40 inches. Panfish in this lake include bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
Eighth Crow Wing Lake is a solid lake for panfish with good numbers of perch and bluegill. This lake provides good numbers eating-size perch and bluegill to go along with low numbers, but quality-sized crappie too.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Eleventh Crow Wing Lake (Hubbard County, MN)
Eleventh Crow Wing Lake has a surface area of 751 acres and a maximum depth of 80 feet. There is a public access and campground, owned and maintained by the city of Akeley, located on the south shore. Eleventh Crow Wing Lake is a deep lake with excellent water quality and lots of structure that will hold a variety of fish. This lake is a good lake for walleye. Other game fish include largemouth bass and northern pike. Panfish include bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
Bluegill, hybrid sunfish, pumpkinseed, rock bass and perch provide a solid panfish fishery. If you target panfish, you should be able to get plenty of action from a variety of panfish. Some quality fish are in the lake too, but plan on sorting through a lot of smaller panfish to find some fish for the cooler.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Fifth Crow Wing Lake (Hubbard County, MN)
Fifth Crow Wing Lake totals 392 acres and has a maximum depth of 35 feet. There is no public access on the lake, but there is a public boat ramp on Sixth Crow Wing Lake and the two lakes are connected by a small river channel. There is a dam at the outlet of Fifth Crow Wing Lake which limits boat travel downstream, but there is a portage trail around the dam for canoes and kayaks. Fifth Crow Wing Lake offers good fishing for northern pike, largemouth bass and walleye. Panfish include bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
Fifth Crow Wing Lake is a very good crappie and bluegill lake with lower numbers of pumpkinseed, rock bass and perch.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
First Crow Wing Lake (Hubbard County, MN)
First Crow Wing Lake is a shallow lake with a surface area of 526 acres and a maximum depth of 15 feet. Much of the shoreline on First Crow Wing is DNR wildlife management land and is undeveloped. This lake has an abundant amount of both emergent and submergent aquatic vegetation such as wild rice, hardstem bulrush and yellow water lilies. The primary game fish are northern pike, largemouth bass and walleye. Panfish include bluegill, crappie and perch.
First Crow Wing Lake is a good panfish lake, especially for bluegill and crappie. There are much better numbers of bluegill in the lake, but there are enough crappie to target them and some nice-sized crappie too.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Fish Hook Lake (Hubbard County, MN)
Fish Hook Lake has a surface area of 1,642 acres and a maximum depth of 76 feet. There are county-owned public accesses located on the southwest shore of the lake and on the Fish Hook River south of the lake in Heartland Park. Fish Hook Lake is a popular lake and it receives a fair amount of fishing and boating pressure. There are good numbers of walleye, northern pike, largemouth bass and panfish in this lake. Smallmouth bass are also available in Fish Hook Lake. Panfish include bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
This lake usually has a lot of smaller panfish in the lake, with the exception of rock bass. You can find good numbers of them to go along with some good-sized rock bass too.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Fourth Crow Wing Lake (Hubbard County, MN)
Fourth Crow Wing Lake is a very shallow lake that covers 479 acres and has a maximum depth of only 10 feet. Due to its shallow depth, Fourth Crow Wing Lake has abundant growth of both submerged and emergent aquatic vegetation such as wild rice, hardstem bulrush, and water lilies. There is a public access located on the east shore. The Crow Wing River connects Fourth Crow Wing Lake to Third Crow Wing Lake and boating between these two lakes is possible with small to medium craft. There is a dam below Fifth Crow Wing Lake that prohibits boat travel between these two lakes. There is a portage around the dam for canoes and kayaks.
Anglers typically target northern pike and panfish in this lake. Largemouth bass are also available and you may catch an occasional walleye, but if you are looking to target game fish in this lake, try fishing for northern pike.
Anglers have a lot of options for panfish here as they can catch quality-sized bluegill, pumpkinseed, crappie and perch here. You won’t find tons of giants in the lake, but there are plenty of eating-size panfish if you’re willing to put in the time to find them.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Island Lake (Hubbard County, MN)
Island Lake has a surface area of 544 acres and a maximum depth of 65 feet. There is a state-owned public access located on the west end of the lake. Island Lake has good numbers of northern pike and walleye. Largemouth bass are present in low numbers. Panfish include bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
The panfish fishery tends to fluctuate quite a bit here, but you’re usually going to find lower numbers of panfish with some quality fish to catch. There are some nice bluegill, crappie and perch in the lake.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Island Lake (Little Island Lake) Hubbard County, MN
Island Lake (also known as Little Island) is located in southern Hubbard County, 7 miles south of Nevis. Island Lake has a surface area of 225 acres and a maximum depth of 32 feet. A county-owned public access is located on the north side of the lake. Northern pike and largemouth bass are the primary game fish that are targeted in this lake. Panfish include bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
While there are multiple species of panfish in the lake, you’re not going to find huge numbers of them. If you’re coming to this lake to put some panfish in the cooler, you’re going to do much better by targeting bluegill.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Lake Belle Taine (Hubbard County, MN)
Belle Taine Lake has a surface area of 1,497 acres and a maximum depth of 56 feet. The main public access is located on the east end of the lake near the city of Nevis. Access is also available by small craft from Shallow Lake, which lies to the north of Belle Taine. This lake is a popular lake for fishing and water recreation. There are good numbers of largemouth bass in the lake with solid numbers of smallmouth bass, northern pike and walleye. Panfish include bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
You have a lot of options for targeting panfish here, however, if you’re looking to catch bigger panfish, you’ll want to target crappie, however, anglers do catch some decent-sized rock bass, perch and bluegill too.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Little Sand Lake (Hubbard County, MN)
Little Sand Lake has a surface area of 409 acres and a maximum depth of 80 feet. A public access is located on the south shore of the lake. Boating access with a small craft is also available from the inlet channel connecting to Ida Lake. Little Sand Lake has good numbers of northern pike and catchable numbers of walleye. Other game fish include largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. Panfish include bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
Little Sand Lake isn’t known as a good panfish lake, but you can target a variety of panfish here and find some eating-sized fish if you’re willing to sort through the smaller ones.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Mantrap Lake (Hubbard County, MN)
Mantrap Lake is a 1,618 acre lake located near Emmaville, MN that has over 26 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 68 feet. There are two Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) public accesses, one is located on the south side of the west basin and the other one is located on the south end of the north Arm. Mantrap Lake is one of the better lakes to fish in this area, especially for big toothy critters. This lake is known for producing big muskie and northern pike. Muskie up to and above 50 inches are possible on Mantrap Lake. Other fish include largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
Mantrap Lake is a popular lake for panfish, especially for crappie. There is a special regulation which allows anglers to only keep 5 crappie per day on Mantrap Lake. Anglers usually target crappie or perch when they come here to fish for panfish. Bluegill are here too, but they tend to run small.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Ninth Crow Wing Lake (Hubbard County, MN)
Ninth Crow Wing Lake has a surface area of 227 acres and a maximum depth of 65 feet. There is no public access on Ninth Crow Wing Lake, but there is boating access from Eighth Crow Wing Lake and Tenth Crow Wing Lake by the Crow Wing River which flows through this chain of lakes. This lake has been known to have good numbers of largemouth bass to go along with other game fish such as walleye and northern pike. This lake also produces some big northern pike. Panfish include bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
The better quality panfish are bluegill and crappie. You will have to sort through some small fish, but if you’re willing to put in the time, there are some quality bluegill and crappie in the lake.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Palmer Lake (Hubbard County, MN)
Palmer Lake is a small lake covering only 144 acres with a maximum depth of 21 feet. There is a county-owned public access located on the northeast shore of the lake. Anglers and boaters should be aware that the access is narrow and parking is limited. Palmer Lake has exceptional water quality and provides angling for largemouth bass, panfish, walleye, and northern pike. Panfish include bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
If you’re looking to target panfish on Palmer Lake, you’re most likely going to be targeting bluegill and crappie if you’re looking for a fish fry. Bluegill are here in good numbers with some bigger fish available while crappie are here in lower numbers, but the lake does produce some quality crappie.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Pickerel Lake (Hubbard County, MN)
Pickerel Lake is a relatively shallow lake with a surface area of 310 acres and a maximum depth of 26 feet. There is a state-owned public access located on the south shore of the east basin. Pickerel has very good numbers of northern pike with some quality fish available. Largemouth bass numbers are good. Walleye numbers are low, but there are some walleye in this lake if you choose to target them. Panfish include bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
Anglers target bluegill, crappie and pumpkinseed when they are looking to keep some panfish for the table. The lake has good numbers of them, but you will have to sort through a lot of smaller fish while searching for some keepers.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Potato Lake (Hubbard County, MN)
Potato Lake has a surface area of 2,100 acres and a maximum depth of 95 feet. A state-owned public access is located on the north shore and a county-owned access is located on the west “arm” of the lake. Boating access with small craft is also available from the river connecting to Eagle Lake. There is a fixed crest dam at the outlet that prevents boat travel downstream. Potato Lake is a very popular fishing lake in this area and it is known as a good lake for walleye and northern pike. There are good numbers of walleye and pike with some quality-sized fish of both species in this lake. Other game fish include smallmouth bass and largemouth bass. Panfish include bluegill, rock bass and perch.
If you’re looking for panfish action on Potato Lake, plan on fishing for bluegill, pumpkinseed and rock bass. There are a lot of them in the lake with some quality fish too. You can find a good amount of nice rock bass here if you put in some time to fish for them.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Second Crow Wing Lake (Hubbard County, MN)
Second Crow Wing Lake has a surface area of 294 acres and a maximum depth of 36 feet. There is no public boat ramp located on Second Crow Wing Lake, but you can access this lake by boat by going downstream from Third Crow Wing Lake or upstream from First Crow Wing Lake with smaller watercraft. Anglers usually target northern pike, walleye and panfish on this lake. Largemouth bass are also available and panfish include bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
This lake has a healthy population of panfish with bluegill, pumpkinseed and rock bass here in good numbers.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Seventh Crow Wing Lake (Hubbard County, MN)
Seventh Crow Wing Lake has a surface area of 254 acres and a maximum depth of 40 feet. There is no public access on the lake, but there is a county-owned access on the outlet channel (Crow Wing River) west of County Road #13. It is an undeveloped access that is only suitable for small or carry-in boats. Anglers can target walleye, northern pike, largemouth bass, and panfish such as bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
Anglers can target bluegill and crappie if they are looking to eat some panfish. There are quality fish in this lake with some decent pumpkinseed and perch too.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Shallow Lake (Hubbard County, MN)
Shallow Lake has a surface area of 255 acres and a maximum depth of only 10 feet. Shallow Lake has abundant stands of both emergent and submergent aquatic vegetation such as hardstem bulrush, cattail, and yellow water lilies. There is a county owned public access with an earthen ramp located on the outlet channel at the south end of the lake. The outlet channel of Shallow Lake connects to Belle Taine Lake to the south. Shallow Lake has largemouth bass, northern pike and panfish.
Bluegill, pumpkinseed and crappie provide plenty of action if you want to catch panfish. There are some quality fish here too, but don’t expect to find large numbers of them.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Shell Lake (Becker County, MN)
Shell Lake is a large, shallow that covers more than 3,100 acres with a maximum depth of only 16 feet. This lake is subject to occasional winter fish kills because of the shallow water. After severe fish kills, the DNR re-stocks the lake and this lake typically has catchable numbers of walleye, largemouth bass, bluegill and crappie. There are a lot of bullhead in the lake to go along with some northern pike and perch too.
Because this lake is prone to winter fish kills, the panfish populations can change quite a bit. Shell Lake has been home to some very nice-sized panfish through the years though, so as long as you don’t fish it within a couple years of a major fish kill, you should be able to find some nice panfish here. Big crappie are caught here in good numbers. Quality bluegill, pumpkinseed and perch are here too.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Sixth Crow Wing Lake (Hubbard County, MN)
Sixth Crow Wing Lake totals 321 acres and a maximum depth of 40 feet. A state-owned public access with a concrete ramp is located on the southwest shore of the lake. Sixth Crow Wing is connected to Fifth Crow Wing Lake by a small channel (Crow Wing River) and boating is possible between the two lakes. Sixth Crow Wing Lake offers good fishing for game fish such as largemouth bass, northern pike and walleye. Panfish include bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
Sixth Crow Wing Lake is a very good panfish lake. Anglers catch lots of good-sized bluegill and crappie. There are also some decent-sized perch here too.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Spider Lake (Hubbard County, MN)
Spider Lake is irregularly shaped with 2 deep basins and several shallow bays. Spider has a surface area of 544 acres and a maximum depth of 96 feet. However, there is lots of shallower water with 75% of the lake area 15 feet or less in depth. There is abundant aquatic vegetation growth in the shallower parts of the lake. Anglers target northern pike, largemouth bass and panfish. Walleye are present in the lake, but in very low numbers. Panfish include bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
While the panfish fishery can fluctuate quite a bit on Spider Lake, it has been a very solid lake for panfish. Crappie are here in good numbers with lots of big fish too. There are some quality bluegill and pumpkinseed as well.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Straight Lake (Becker County, MN)
Straight Lake has a surface area of 423 acres and a maximum depth of 63 feet. There is a state-owned public access located at the south end of the lake. Straight Lake has good numbers of walleye, northern pike, largemouth bass and panfish. The panfish in this lake include bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
Straight Lake is a popular panfish lake as it usually produces quality bluegill and crappie.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Tenth Crow Wing Lake (Hubbard County, MN)
Tenth Crow Wing Lake has a surface area of 173 acres and a maximum depth of 40 feet. There is a state-owned public access located on the southeast shore of the lake. Tenth Crow Wing is part of the Crow Wing chain of lakes (11 lakes total) that are all connected by the Crow Wing River. Boating with small craft is possible from Tenth Crow Wing Lake downstream into Ninth and Eighth Crow Wing Lakes. There is a small dam at the outlet of Eighth Crow Wing preventing further downstream travel. There is also a small dam at the outlet of Eleventh Crow Wing preventing travel upstream. Game fish in Tenth Crow Wing Lake include walleye, northern pike and largemouth bass. Panfish include bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
It is a good panfish lake for bluegill and crappie. There are usually good numbers of quality bluegill with lower numbers, but some very nice crappie too.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Third Crow Wing Lake (Hubbard County, MN)
Third Crow Wing Lake covers 647 acres and has a maximum depth of 35 feet. There is a state-owned public access located on the northwest shore of the lake. The Crow Wing River flows from Fourth Crow Wing Lake into Third Crow Wing Lake then into Second Crow Wing Lake. Boating between the lakes is possible with smaller watercraft. Third Crow Wing Lake provides good fishing for walleye and northern pike. Largemouth bass and smallmouth bass are also present in the lake. Panfish include bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
This is another good panfish lake with quality crappie, bluegill and some pumpkinseed too. Crappie are here in much lower numbers, but the crappie population is home to some nice-sized fish.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Upper Bottle Lake (Hubbard County, MN)
Upper Bottle Lake has a surface area of 465 acres and a maximum depth of 55 feet. It is connected to Lower Bottle Lake and there are no barriers to fish or boat traffic. These lakes are really one body of water and share the same fish populations, but have been treated as separate lakes over the years. There is a public access located on the north shore of Upper Bottle Lake. This lake is known for having a very good walleye fishery with good numbers of fish and some quality fish available. Good numbers of northern pike are also available and there are some quality pike as well. Other fish include largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, bluegill, crappie, rock bass and perch.
While this lake is home to some quality crappie, bluegill and perch, you usually will not find the action that you will find on other lakes in the area. Panfish are here in lower overall numbers compared to other area lakes.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Waboose Lake (Hubbard County, MN)
Waboose Lake is a small lake that totals 172 acres and has a maximum depth of 32 feet. This lake is a relatively shallow lake with over 80% of the lake area being less than 15 feet deep. The lake lies entirely within the Paul Bunyan State Forest. A state-owned public access with an earthen ramp is located on the west shore of the lake. Anglers can target largemouth bass, northern pike walleye and panfish on this lake.
Panfish are here in pretty good numbers and you can catch some quality and bluegill. There are definitely plenty of better panfish lakes in the area, but the panfish round out a really nice multispecies fishery for a smaller lake.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
West Crooked Lake (Hubbard County, MN)
West Crooked Lake totals 270 acres and has a maximum depth of 50 feet. There is a county owned public access located on the west end of the lake off Inspiration Drive. There are good numbers of northern pike in the lake. Walleye and largemouth bass are also available. Panfish include bluegill, crappie and perch.
This lake provides a very solid fishery for panfish with good numbers and quality fish. Crappie, bluegill and pumpkinseed will keep anglers busy all season long.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
