Mille Lacs Lake
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Mille Lacs Lake Fishing Reports
Stay up to date with the latest fishing reports from Mille Lacs Lake. Reports are submitted by local anglers, fishing guides, and our team of fishing experts.
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- Species
WalleyeTechniqueFinesse Hair JigsSeasonFallStructureLedgesCaught near sundown, wind was calm.
Species
Smallmouth BassTechniqueNed RigsSeasonFallStructureBouldersHeaded out for the last time this year. Fish were very active. But had to find low pressure areas. Catching them from 10-25 ft.
SpeciesSmallmouth BassTechniqueSoft Body Swimbaits (Small/Medium)SeasonFallStructureReefFan casting a 3" spark shad, letting it hit the bottom, then reeling it back slowly got bites along boulders around offshore reefs the 10-16ft range on the south end of the lake. We were also able to pick off fish with a ned rig vertically under the boat.
- SpeciesSmallmouth BassTechniqueDamiki RigSeasonFallStructureBoulders
Very calm day and an unseasonably warm fall. Initially we hopped to and from known boulder piles looking for fish. Fish were orienting to boulders and holding very close to them. We had our best luck in very shallow water. The Damiki rig jigged vertically with the forward facing sonar worked very well and we picked up several aggressive fish. Later in the day, some of us switched to dragging small suckers over a very shallow shoreline on a transition from gravel to short-growing aquatic vegetation. We picked up several fish with this technique as well.
Michael RingwelskiBronze AmbassadorSpeciesWalleyeTechniqueVertical Jigging Shallow (0-9')SeasonFallStructureRock PileThe east side of Mille Lacs continues to hold fish even in these later months when the water is cold. Water temps are dipping into the 30’s which is starting to make the fish a little more lethargic. Shallow shoreline rock piles around agate bay and gravel piles towards the sand hold larger schools of 18-20” walleyes. To find some of the bigger fish, they’ll be roaming around the sand in 7-12 ft often alone or with one or two fish. This is where you’ll find those slot fish and maybe slightly bigger. Gently dancing the jig on the bottom while slowly reeling produced the most consistent bite, you won’t feel the classic jig “thud” but you’ll just start to feel “mushy” weight while retrieving. It’s key to have a medium light action rod so you feel them before they feel you. Shiners and suckers seemed to produce the most, and if you can’t get them to bite don’t be afraid to toss a finesse bobber rig with a shiner to entice the bite
- SpeciesSmallmouth BassTechniqueSoft Body Swimbaits (Small/Medium)SeasonWinterStructureBoulders
Boulders and transition areas in 20-25 ft dragging a keitech swimbait on an Outkast jighead caught all my fish. Would take a while to find the fish but once I caught one I would catch 5-10 more in the same spot.
- SpeciesSmallmouth BassTechniqueTexas Rigs (Worming)SeasonFallStructureBoulders
One of my last days of the season was out on the Big Pond. With the rougher conditions and cold weather I focused my time on large boulders the size of the hood of your truck, or as big as your boat. If I found one smallmouth, I typically would find a few - but you had to capitalize on your 'catch window' and throw back in the same area as quickly as possible. If you spent too much time taking pictures or admiring your catch you could miss the window to keep them fired up in the colder temperatures. When finesse applications were not working - I would move to a Deep Jerkbait and normally got freight trained on the the very long pause. White and ProBlue colored baits were a key to the bites.
- SpeciesWalleyeTechniqueLipless CrankbaitsSeasonWinterStructureBoulders
Fishing boulders on points seemed to work best today. Some gravel and rock transitions were good.
