My Waters

Lake Bemidji

Bemidji Lake is a 6420-acre lake with a maximum depth of 76 feet. Over 396,000 acres of the Upper Mississippi watershed drain into Lake Bemidji. The lake is located in southern Beltrami County adjacent to the city of Bemidji. Lake Bemidji is a deep clear lake that has lush cabbage beds, sand, reeds, rocks, and mid lake bars. The lake boasts incredible forage base of ciscoes which in turn creates monster muskies. Muskies are native to Lake Bemidji. A strong fishable population is now present due to steady stockings since 1982. Lake Bemidji turns musky hunters’ dreams of catching a 50 inch fish into reality.

Big Lake

Big Lake is 3533-acre lake with a maximum depth of 35 feet. The lake is located eight miles east of Bemidji in east central Beltrami County. The lake is entirely within both the Leech Lake Indian Reservation and the Chippewa National Forest. Muskies are native to Big Lake. Through stocking efforts the Minnesota Department of Resources has created an excellent fishery with a strong catch able population of muskies. The lake has a diverse composition of structure that makes it a challenging and interesting lake to fish. Big Lake has a seemingly endless amount of mid lake bars ranging in many sizes. The lake has shallow and deep cabbage beds, rocks, reeds, and sand. The lake features a good forage base consisting of perch, panfish, and ciscoes. Big Lake has a strong population of muskies with many of those fish in the mid to upper 40 inches. Catching a 50 inch fish is not uncommon.

Little Wolf Lake

Little Wolf Lake is a 490-acre lake with a maximum depth of 24 feet. The lake is located two miles west of the city of Cass Lake in upper Cass County. The only access on the lake is owned by Little Wolf Lake Resort which keeps a lot of fishing pressure off of the lake. Muskies have been stocked in the lake since 1982, and fish over 50 inches have been caught. Little Wolf Lake was originally established as a brood lake to provide a source of Mississippi strain muskellunge eggs for the statewide production program. The lake is definitely an action lake where multiple fish can be encountered in one day. Little Wolf Lake has more fish per acre than any other lake in Minnesota. There is also a good possibility at catching a mid 40 inch fish or even larger. Due to the shallow and size of the lake it warms up quicker than the surrounding lakes making it an excellent lake to fish during the month of June.

Lake Plantagenet

Lake Plantagenet is a 2529-acre lake with a maximum depth of 65 feet. The lake is located 2 1/2 miles south of Bemidji in north central Hubbard County. The lake is very similar to its neighbor to the north, Lake Bemidji, in regards to composition and structure. The forage base is also similar to Lake Bemidji mainly consisting of large ciscoes. Muskellunge are not native to Lake Plantagenet and the Leech Lake strain of muskies was first introduced in 1982. Due to the lake being a brood stock lake the Department of Natural Resources stocks it at 1.5 fish an acre. The lake has a good population of mid to upper 40 inch fish.

 Elk Lake

Elk Lake has a surface area of 271 acres and a maximum depth of just over 100 feet. It is an extremely clear lake which can be frustrating to fish at times. The lake has a large forage base of ciscoes which can be found easily due to the small size of the lake. The shoreline is undeveloped which creates a wilderness feeling. This is a lake that turns on earlier than the larger lakes in June and is an excellent lake to fish when the larger lakes are hammered with heavy winds. The lake has an strong population of mid 40 inch fish with the occassional larger fish.