Glen Schmitt

Cedar Lake, located just west of Aitkin, is well known among local anglers for producing muskies. It’s a large fishery (1,725 acres) with an abundance of deep water, structure, and a robust tullibee population, all of which bodes well for growing large muskies.

Located seven miles north of Park Rapids in Hubbard County, Island Lake is well known locally as a decent multi-species fishery with an emphasis on producing big fish, more so than numbers.

The Hackensack area of Cass County is loaded with excellent fishing lakes. It’s one of the state’s more popular destinations for multi-species angling, featuring lakes that offer everything from jumbo perch to muskies – often all in the same body of water.
If you’re looking for a system that offers a legitimate chance to catch a trophy-caliber fish, then Ten Mile Lake might be the best option.

In and around the central part of the state, it’s no secret that Rice Lake near Paynesville is one of the most productive and popular fishing lakes in Stearns County.

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.