Mille Lacs Lake is a lake in Minnesota, near Mille Lacs County.
Mille Lacs Lake is a lake in Mille Lacs County, Minnesota. Mille Lacs Lake covers about 128,124 acres, reaches a recorded 40 feet and holds about 3,654,123 acre-feet.
Mille Lacs is a large, windswept lake with rock reefs, gravel, sand flats and mud. It is famous for walleye and also holds trophy smallmouth bass, muskellunge and northern pike, so one spot and one lure will not cover the whole fish list.
The reported fish at Mille Lacs Lake include muskellunge, walleye, northern pike, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, and black crappie. That mix gives anglers more than one sensible way to fish Mille Lacs Lake.
Fish reported from Mille Lacs Lake include black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bluntnose minnow, bowfin, brook silverside, brown bullhead, burbot, cisco, common carp, common shiner, fathead minnow, golden shiner, green sunfish, iowa darter, johnny darter, largemouth bass, logperch, longnose dace, mimic shiner, mottled sculpin, muskellunge, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, shorthead redhorse, slimy sculpin, smallmouth bass, spottail shiner, tadpole madtom, trout perch, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, and yellow perch.
For bass at Mille Lacs, fish weeds, wood and shade with a spinnerbait, jig or Texas-rigged worm for largemouth, and work a tube, Ned rig or small crankbait across rock and firm points for smallmouth.
For panfish at Mille Lacs, use a small jig or minnow beside brush for crappie, and fish a worm, cricket or tiny jig near weeds for bluegill, pumpkinseed, and green sunfish, and keep a small jig, minnow or worm close to bottom for yellow perch.
For roaming fish at Mille Lacs, jig a minnow or troll a crankbait along points and deeper edges for walleye.
For large predators at Mille Lacs, throw a bucktail, jerkbait or large rubber lure along points and weed edges for muskellunge, and cast a spoon, spinnerbait or swimbait beside weeds for northern pike.
For bottom fishing at Mille Lacs, fish a worm or small piece of cut bait in quiet water for bullheads, and use corn or dough bait on a simple bottom rig for carp.
Other choices at Mille Lacs include these plans: work a tough soft plastic or cut bait near weeds and wood for bowfin.
At Mille Lacs, use a small jig, worm or tiny crankbait around rock and firm shorelines for rock bass.
For other cold-water fish at Mille Lacs, use a tiny jig or small spoon at the depth where cisco are schooling, and fish a glow jig or natural bait close to bottom after dark for burbot.
On Mille Lacs, jig or use a slip bobber on rock, gravel and sand for walleye, drag a tube on rock for smallmouth, and work large bucktails or rubber lures around reefs and weed edges for muskellunge.
On a first trip to Mille Lacs, check one quiet cove, one rocky or firm point and the nearby deep water with a moving lure, then use a jig or worm where you find fish.
Spring at Mille Lacs is a good time to check warm coves and incoming water, and summer is a good time to fish shade, weeds and the first drop into deeper water. Fall at Mille Lacs can bring fish back to windy points and banks, while winter calls for smaller baits fished slowly.
A medium spinning rod covers smaller lures at Mille Lacs, while a heavier rod and stronger leader are better for pike or muskellunge.
Choose one point, weed edge, rocky bank or narrow passage on Mille Lacs Lake that sits near deeper water, then test two lure depths before moving.
The reported 40-foot depth at Mille Lacs Lake marks the deepest spot, but fish still need bait and a reason to stop there.
Muskellunge appears in the fish record for Mille Lacs Lake, so choose a lure and location that fit that fish.
Explore nearby waters, including local Featured destinations. Check each page for access and fishing restrictions.
Distances are straight-line estimates between mapped water locations.