The 5 Best Places To Go Bass Fishing In Minnesota

By: Chad Smith

When it comes to fishing up north, we can get pretty spoiled. Minnesota is full of bodies of water, and they all hold a healthy ecosystem with a plethora of all kinds of fish, especially bass. Although you could blindly throw a dart at a map and more than likely stumble upon a great bass fishery, I’m going to highlight a handful of bass fishing factories that spread across the state and what they have to offer.

1) Lake Minnetonka

I’d say Lake Minnetonka is basically at the heart of Minnesota. It’s been a profound fishery all around for a variety of species but is straight chalked full of bass. Dominantly Largemouth Bass with some Smallmouth to be found, this lake has a wide array of different structures and cover to keep you trying new things to catch bass. Deep rock piles, weed lines, docks, and shallow vegetation can be found throughout the lake that is essentially broken down into little lakes or bays connected by channels. Some bays have dirtier water, but the majority of the lake is clearer. You can never go wrong throwing a Jig Worm (ribbon tail or straight tail worm threaded on a jig head with exposed hook) on some weedlines out there in the summer months. “Tonka” keeps your sea legs fresh as it is just outside the Twin Cities area and plenty of boat traffic for all types of people enjoying the lake life.

2) Mille Lacs Lake

The Smallmouth Mecca of Minnesota. Mille Lacs was listed as the #1 Bass Lake a few years back by Bassmaster. It is notorious for its healthy population of big smallmouth bass. The lake is shaped to be a big bowl with miles of sand and rock structure all around the lake, and looking for transition areas from sand to rock is never a bad starting point. When in doubt, Ned rigs out. There is something about that little bait the smallmouth can’t resist. There are heavy largemouth in the smaller bays around the lake, but predominantly the smallmouth are the prized target. Big water and big bass all equate to a great time.

3) Leech Lake

Another big body of water in Northern Minnesota is Leech Lake. Prosperous populations of both green and brown, all you have to do is pick your poison and put your head down. Largemouths relate to weed lines, vast rice fields, and other surface vegetation, while the smallmouth can be found in their typical rock pile habitats. It never hurts to keep an open mind with a variety of soft plastic baits for both species. Go exploring, trust your gut in an area, and put your head down. It’s a prominent place, but that can help make it feel a little smaller.

4) Lake Vermillion

This is about as close to the "fishing in Canada" feeling you will get in Minnesota. Great smallmouth and largemouth to be caught in this maze of a fishery that keeps people coming back time and time again. Tons of rocky structure on and offshore to target smallmouth, along with a plethora of nooks and crannies with vegetation to hold some big bucket heads. Again, an open mind with various soft plastic baits is never a bad idea to have on deck here. Enjoy the scenery. It's about as "North Country" as it gets.

5) Mississippi River (Pools 3-7)

A part of Minnesota I do not think people realize is as beautiful as it is, being only a couple hours at most from the Twin Cities is the Mississippi River. The valley runs down the border of Minnesota and Wisconsin, and the further south you go, the more bluffy it gets. LOADED with largemouth and smallmouth bass, the river is a different animal with the current in the equation. Largemouth hanging around shallow emergent vegetation in backwater areas and smallmouth relating closer to the main channel with different structure that breaks the current. Suppose you had one bait, topwater. A frog for largemouth in thicker stuff and a “walk the dog” style topwater bait for smallmouth (and largemouth) in open water scenarios. These fish are current-oriented, looking for an easy meal. Keep moving. They will let you know when you find them.

Minnesota has no shortage of good lakes for bass fishing and all species, but these are an excellent place to start that are just straight up known for how good the fishing can be. If you haven’t been to any of them, add them to the list and when you do make it there, keep an open mind. If something isn’t working, switch it up. There are fish to be caught in all these amazing bodies of water, and whether you are a resident or from out of town, you can never rule these places out completely. Tight Lines!