The Park Rapids area is known more for its walleye, northern pike and largemouth bass fishing, but there are several lakes in the area that have smallmouth bass available too. Some of the better lakes will give anglers a chance at numbers and some quality fish too.
Best Smallmouth Bass Lakes in the Area
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.
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.
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.
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.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Other Lakes With Smallmouth Bass
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.
MN DNR Lake Information Report
Blue Lake (Hubbard County, MN)
Blue Lake has a surface area of 324 acres and a maximum depth of 84 feet. There is a state-owned public access with a concrete ramp located on the northwest shore of the lake. Blue Lake is known for its exceptional water clarity and sandy shorelines. This lake has a good walleye population and there are some trophy fish available here. Other game fish include rainbow trout, northern pike, largemouth bass and smallmouth bass, although, these fish are here in low numbers. Panfish include bluegill, crappie, rock bass 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Learn More
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.
