Glen Schmitt

There aren’t many lakes to choose from along the Blue Earth/Faribault county line in southern Minnesota. However, one worth noting is Lura Lake, just south of Mapleton. It’s a fishery with an interesting history that’s gone through some significant changes during the past 20 years or so.
Lura is a shallow lake with a maximum of depth of 9 feet, and it tends to “green up” during the summer months. Once its curlyleaf pondweed dies off in the summer, the lake turns into a sort of pea soup.

A solid walleye population has always been a staple of Itasca County’s Sand Lake. That remains the case, but changes in water clarity on this 3,579-acre system may lead to a different approach when fishing for them.

There’s nothing to debate when it comes to fishing options in Cedar Lake, north of Ely. Make no mistake; this 465-acre fishery is an excellent walleye lake.

In Otter Tail County alone, there are 11 Long lakes, one of which is this week’s featured body of water. Just to keep them straight, this Long Lake is 766 acres and is known to local anglers as Long/Jewett, due to Long’s proximity to Jewett Lake, just to the south.

Currently, the lake is stocked annually with walleye fingerlings, and if surplus fish are available, they’re stocked as well.

Although its panfish typically draw the most attention, this 1,099-acre system is showing signs of improving walleye numbers, along with plenty of bass, both of the largemouth and smallmouth variety.