Glen Schmitt

The main draw on this 2,258-acre fishery near Ely is its abundance of walleyes. Fall is noted for producing eating-size walleyes, along with some trophy-caliber fish, and its consistently high walleye population is maintained entirely by natural reproduction.

Ripple Lake is just one of 10 fisheries throughout the Ripple River Chain of Lakes in Aitkin County. While the entire system provides decent multi-species fishing opportunities, Ripple is best known for its panfish and northern pike production.

Lake Crystal and Loon Lake are located on the northwestern edge of Blue Earth County in the far southern part of the state. Combined, these two prairie-type lakes consist of 1,187 acres and not much depth – 7 or 8 feet maximum, depending on water levels during a given year.

The first feature that jumps out about Big Fish Lake in western Stearns County is its extremely clear water. You can typically see quite easily 15 to 20 feet down into this 557-acre lake north of Cold Spring, which obviously makes it quite attractive for recreational use during the summer months.

At first glance, Cedar Lake in Scott County might not look like much from an angling standpoint. After all, it’s basically an old wetland with limited depth and structure.
But, appearances can be deceiving, and that’s the case with Cedar, a 793-acre lake just north of New Prague. Simply put, it’s chock-full of fish.

In the spirit of the current fall hunting season, it seems only fitting to feature Itasca County’s Deer Lake this week. Even more so because we featured Deer’s neighbor, Moose Lake, which is basically across the road, in last week’s edition.
There are quite a few similarities between Deer and Moose, but at the same time, they’re different, too.

Itasca County’s Moose Lake has a well-deserved and long-standing reputation as a solid walleye and muskie fishery. Both species remain primary targets for anglers who frequent this 1,273-acre lake near Deer River.

When you look at the shoreline surrounding Nokay Lake in Crow Wing County, the first point of interest is that the vast majority of it is lined with bulrushes. Dig a little deeper into the physical characteristics of this 704-acre lake east of Brainerd, and you’ll find an abundance of submerged vegetation as well.

If you’re a walleye angler who welcomes a challenge, Big Sand Lake in central Hubbard County is for you. Located about seven miles northeast of Park Rapids, Big Sand is a large, deep lake, that’s loaded with structure and features amazingly clear water.