Glen Schmitt

The fact that Aitkin County’s Farm Island Lake is an excellent multi-species fishery is no secret; that’s been known for decades. Walleyes and bass are plentiful in this 2,000-acre lake, and although its panfish go through population cycles, they tend to run good-sized most years as well.

With a basic bowl-shape design, mostly featureless structure, and a maximum depth of 32 feet, Lake George in Anoka County is a pretty easy lake to figure out.

Grant County’s Pomme de Terre Lake is one of several wide spots located along the Pomme de Terre River system. Located between the towns of Elbow Lake and Ashby, Pomme de Terre is just over 1,800 acres in size, and it’s known as a fine walleye and crappie fishery.

The program seemed to work – at least for a while. The panfish grew, but go figure that they saw some increased fishing pressure as a result. The number of bass over 4 pounds also increased, but their size structure has declined a bit in recent years as well.

Lake Marion is located just east of Interstate 35 in Lakeville, and at 530 acres, it’s the largest fishery in Dakota County. But that’s really not a big deal, because there are only a handful of lakes to fish throughout the county.

Big things really do come in small packages at times. Such is the case with Ramsey County’s Turtle Lake, an excellent 450-acre multi-species lake despite its modest size. It’s located in Shoreview, in the Twin Cities metro area.

Lake Itasca receives a lot of visitors each year, and the majority of them aren’t there to fish. This Clearwater County lake is most famous for being the headwaters of the Mississippi River and being located within Itasca State Park. Those things make this 1,065-acre fishery one of the top tourist destinations in the state.

There’s a fair amount of structure throughout South Twin Lake in Mahnomen County, especially for a lake that’s just over 1,100 acres in size.
Among its shallow flats, breaklines, and underwater points, there’s also a healthy supply of vegetation, both above and below its surface.

Green Lake in Isanti County is primarily managed by the DNR for walleyes and northern pike. But this 833-acre fishery east of Princeton shouldn’t be overlooked for its crappie- and largemouth bass-catching opportunities, either.