LAKE MINNETONKA FISHING REPORT
Consisting of numerous bays connected by man-made channels, Lake Minnetonka can seem like a huge puzzle that will leave you scratching your head. Coupled with the fact that each bay varies in water clarity and bottom composition, you'll quickly understand why this body of water is widely considered as the most challenging tournament fishery in the state. Trevor puts together fishing reports throughout each season to help you narrow down the areas you need to focus on to help you spend more time catching fish! His reports include the most productive baits and techniques in addition to the water temperature so you're ready for any conditions.
Lake Minnetonka Fishing Report
09/21/2025
Water Temperature:​​ 70 - 72 degrees
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Summary: This last week has been uncharacteristically warm in the Twin Cities, which is keeping the water temps up on Lake Minnetonka. The fish can still be found in deep weedlines as well as tucked into the coontail. The jig worm continues to excel in these areas, although the chatterbait is definitely catching good numbers paralleling docks (if they haven't been put away yet). With the water temperature still hanging around the 70s, we're still seeing GIANT schools of baitfish being pushed up to the surface by the bass underneath them. The fishing should continue to be good through October with how warm the water temps are!
Lake Minnetonka Fishing Report
09/06/2025
Water Temperature:​​ 64 - 66 degrees
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Summary: We've had some serious cold weather run through Minnesota the last week and a half or so. The overnight lows have been in the low 40s which is cooling off the lakes very quickly. The nice thing is that the recreational boaters are now mostly off the lake, allowing for us to usually have the lake to ourselves. Moving baits have been working fairly well, such as a small weedless swimbait and chatterbait, while the jig worm continues to excel in the grass. The fish are seeming to "tuck into" the thicker coontail since it holds in the heat a bit more than open water. The baitfish is plentiful, and the bass are always nearby. Once the water temps start getting into the 50s, you will start to see a lot of fish move into the shallows and begin feeding heavily!
Lake Minnetonka Fishing Report
08/23/2025
Water Temperature:​​ 72 - 76 degrees
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Summary: The fishing continues to shine on Lake Minnetonka. The morning bite generally yields the bigger fish, although you can still catch quality fish throughout the day on weedlines and grass flats. A Texas-rigged creature bait has been working well in deep coontail, while the jig worm continues to put a lot of fish in the boat. As the day warms up, we have been seeing deeper rocky areas start to produce good bites as well. The overnight lows are beginning to cool down the water a bit, but we should still continue to have good "summer" fishing on Tonka for a few weeks!
Lake Minnetonka Fishing Report
08/11/2025
Water Temperature:​​ 75 - 79 degrees
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Summary: The bite has been fantastic on Tonka! We are catching tons of fish with a lot of quality bites mixed in. You can basically catch them on anything you want to right now, so long as you are in the right areas. We are finding that we need to cover a decent amount of water to find active schools of bass chasing baitfish, but when you find them, you can really catch a bunch quickly. You'll want to target depths of 8-26 feet of water; just make sure you're finding the nice, green coontail. The jig worm continues to excel in the grass flats and weedlines, while the jig has been putting in quality fish on the weed edges. The offshore summertime bite should stay good for another month until air temps begin to cool things off and push the fish shallow.
Lake Minnetonka Fishing Report
07/28/2025
Water Temperature:​​ 77 - 81 degrees
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Summary: We have had some serious storms roll through during the last week, but the air temperature has kept the fishing pretty consistent. Fish are being caught both shallow and deep on basically whatever you'd like to throw at them. For numbers, the deep weedlines have been productive with a jig worm, while the larger fish are being found in the middle of grass in around 8-12 feet of water. It's a more "needle-in-a-haystack" approach for the larger bites, but when you get them, they're worth it! The docks have been productive with a jig recently along with a mid strolling bite in various areas. We've got about another month of so of great fishing on Minnetonka, so get out while the big schools are chewing!
Lake Minnetonka Fishing Report
07/23/2025
Water Temperature:​​ 77 - 81 degrees
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Summary: Stable weather has kept the bass fishing very good on the lake. You can find large schools of baitfish just about everywhere you go, which is keeping bass nearby. During the bright and sunny days, we are finding that the bass have a tendency to tuck into the grass more than on cloudy, overcast days. When that happens, the jig worm has been the key player in 6-12 feet of water. On the overcast days, the fish are more spread out and you can catch them on just about anything you like! We should have another month and a half or so of this great fishing, so get out on the water when you can!
Lake Minnetonka Fishing Report
07/12/2025
Water Temperature:​​ 77 - 81 degrees
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Summary: The fishing has been fantastic on Lake Minnetonka. You can find large numbers of fish along with good quality in both shallow and deep weeds. The docks are also holding fish on them, so long as they have good vegetation and deeper water nearby. Most of our fish have been coming by way of a dropshot, Ned rig, and a jig worm. We have also been getting quality bites by "ripping" creature-style baits in deep coontail out in 14-20 feet of water. It's a great time to get out on the lake - you just need to keep an eye out for those recreational boaters!
Lake Minnetonka Fishing Report
06/28/2025
Water Temperature:​​ 74 - 76 degrees
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Summary: The summer bite is officially going on Lake Minnetonka. We are finding large schools of bass on the grass to rock transitions in deep water with baitfish nearby. Our more quality bites have been coming in shallower "clean" grass and around docks with deeper water nearby. The jig worm continues to put numbers in the boat, but our big fish have been caught on baits we drag on the bottom such as a Texas rig or Carolina rig. With the immense boating pressure on the water, don't be afraid to downsize to very small baits such as a Ned rig or finesse dropshot to coax the big ones to bite!
Lake Minnetonka Fishing Report
06/18/2025
Water Temperature:​​ 68 - 72 degrees
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Summary: We are seeing warming trends finally in Minnesota and the water temps are steadily increasing every day. Many fish are still being caught in that "mid-depth" range of 6-10 feet of water, but we are starting to see good numbers of fish push out to the deep weed edges in 15+ feet. Dragging a jig or casting around a jig worm have been putting the most fish in the boat for us, although the Texas-rigged beaver style bait has been catching the most quality. We are getting close to the true summer months of fishing on Minnetonka and the bite will only get better as the weather continues to warm up!
Lake Minnetonka Fishing Report
06/09/2025
Water Temperature: 64 - 67 degrees
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Summary: The weather has been relatively stable the last week or so, resulting in not much of a change in water temperature. The largemouth are all done spawning and there are many males guarding fry in the shallows. A majority of our quality bites are coming in 6-10 feet of water around pondweed and milfoil. The coontail has not grown much yet and the fish have not pushed out into deeper water much. There are some fish that can be found in excess of 10 feet of water, but it seems that most of our quality bites have been shallower than that. The jig worm and a weedless swimbait have been our "one-two punch" this week. The swimbait to cover water and the jig worm to pick apart areas thoroughly.
Lake Minnetonka Fishing Report
05/31/2025
Water Temperature: 64 - 67 degrees
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Summary: We are full swing into the largemouth post-spawn phase! The bite is pretty tough right now and we've really had to work hard to catch our fish. Covering a lot of water and looking for bluegill schools has been the most productive way of putting fish in the boat. The jig worm and a Texas rigged "beaver-style" bait were the top two producers for us on the most recent trip. The smallmouth are currently spawning out on the main lake, but you need calm, sunny conditions in order to see them as they are bedding out in deeper water.
Lake Minnetonka Fishing Report
05/24/2025
Water Temperature:​​ 65 - 69 degrees
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Summary: There are lots of bass to be found in the shallow grass flats right now. Most of the fish are currently in their spawning phase, with numerous fish on beds as well. With the warmer weather we've had, you'll find larger females that are done spawning and hanging out on the first "edge" of cover near spawning grounds. Locating the large schools of bluegill is also key right now as the large females really target them as they recover from the spawn. Look to a chatterbait or swimjig to catch those fish on the edges of the grass. Locating bluegill beds is also crucial right now - look for the "honeycomb" bottoms on your side imaging or 360 imaging; those are the bluegill beds!
Lake Minnetonka Fishing Report
05/16/2025
Water Temperature: 63 - 65 degrees
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Summary: The fishing season is finally upon us in Minnesota and we've had a couple weeks of very warm weather which sped things up in regards to the spawn. There are some fish up on beds but a majority of our quality bites are around vegetation cover in 5-10 feet of water. The chatterbait and jig worm have been the top two contributors this time of year as the bass are targeting smaller sunfish forage.
Lake Minnetonka Fishing Report
10/09/2024
Water Temperature:​​ 64 - 68 degrees
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Summary: Fishing docks has been basically the only thing we've been doing the last couple of weeks. Skipping a jig under them and throwing a drop shot around the edges has been so productive. All of our fish have been caught in less than 10 feet of water. This is likely how we'll wrap up the fishing season here on Minnetonka, as the Mille Lacs smallmouth bite is about to get really good!
Lake Minnetonka Fishing Report
09/26/2024
Water Temperature:​​ 68 - 70 degrees
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Summary: We have been targeting shallower grass flats and shorelines as the weather is getting colder. The fish are starting to put on the "fall feed bags" and are chasing moving baits like crazy in less than 10 feet of water. If you can get around clean, green vegetation, you will find bass. The docks that haven't yet been pulled continue to be productive, especially when skipping a jig under them. The topwater bite with a frog is also putting some decent fish in the boat.
Lake Minnetonka Fishing Report
09/10/2024
Water Temperature:​​ 71 - 72 degrees
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Summary: Water temps are starting to cool off a little bit with some colder nights now. The bass are still keying in on areas that are holding bluegill schools. As vegetation begins to die off, you'll find the bluegill around the greenest vegetation in the lake. Docks with deeper water nearby have also been productive with a drop shot and jig worm. The chatterbait and swim jig is starting to put more fish in the boat again as the bass seem to know the colder weather is just around the corner.
Lake Minnetonka Fishing Report
08/22/2024
Water Temperature:​​ 73 - 76 degrees
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Summary: We've mainly focused on clean rock bottom these last couple weeks although the schools out on the weed edges are still staying put. Dragging a football jig and a Ned rig very slowly has worked best as the fish have been seeing lots of baits over the past couple of months. Downsizing and using compact baits has yielded the quality bites for us, while moving baits tend to get the numbers.
Lake Minnetonka Fishing Report
08/06/2024
Water Temperature:​​ 74 - 78 degrees
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Summary: Finding the greenest vegetation has been the most important thing these last couple weeks. The fish are still holding to the deep weed edges in 15 + feet of water. The jig and Texas rig have been our top producers, but I've been favoring the Texas rig since it allows me to work the bait through thicker vegetation easier. A wacky rigged senko is also getting a lot of bites if you're around sparser vegetation.
Lake Minnetonka Fishing Report
07/20/2024
Water Temperature:​​ 77 - 80 degrees
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Summary: The full blown summer patterns are still going strong. You can see schools of bluegill surfacing around weedlines and certain stretches of docks. The jig worm and Texas rig are the top two players for me right now. You can still catch a few on a chatterbait and swim jig, but I tend not to throw it as much since pike can't seem to stay away from those two baits. Conditions should stay like this through August before things start cooling down in September.
Lake Minnetonka Fishing Report
07/04/2024
Water Temperature:​​ 78 - 79 degrees
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Summary: We're continuing to find large schools of fish out on the main lake on deep weedlines in 20 + feet of water. Docks are also productive with a senko when the sun gets up high. The Ned rig / jig worm pattern continues to work along shallower weed edges in 8 - 10 feet of water. Put yourself around the large schools of bluegill and you'll find that the bass aren't far behind!
Lake Minnetonka Fishing Report
06/15/2024
Water Temperature:​​ 75 - 78 degrees
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Summary: Fish are starting to move into their typical summertime patterns of being out on deep weed edges or hard bottom. There are still a good number of big largemouth to be caught in shallower grass flipping a Texas rig or a jig worm. The vegetation growth on the west end of the lake is not as prolific as it usually is this year. We're finding large schools of fish more on the east side in the cleaner water.
Lake Minnetonka Fishing Report
06/01/2024
Water Temperature:​​ 69 - 72 degrees
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Summary: The largemouth are all done spawning and are now keying in on the subsequent bluegill spawn. Locating bluegill bedding areas (they look like honeycombs on side imaging) is the best way to find quality bites. You'll tend to find them on the weed edges in anywhere from 8 - 20 feet of water. A swim jig, large swimbait, and the traditional jig with a trailer will be your biggest contributors right now.
Lake Minnetonka Fishing Report
05/20/2024
Water Temperature:​​ 69 - 72 degrees
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Summary: We're seeing a lot of the largemouth moving up into their spawning flats with numerous fish still on beds. Covering water with a chatterbait will get you a ton of bites as the fish are coming off a winter season where they haven't seen baits for about 6 months. A swim jig will also put fish in the boat on the edges of the grass flats while the weightless senko can pick off fish around docks and shallow cover.