MILLE LACS LAKE FISHING REPORT
Navigating a large body of water such as Mille Lacs Lake can be a daunting task even for experienced anglers. Pair that with trying to locate smallmouth bass at any given time and you'll find anglers discouraged and ready to throw in the towel. To help with this, Trevor provides a Mille Lacs Lake fishing report multiple times a month during the open water season. He includes the baits/techniques that have been working along with the water temperature so you're prepared for any situation. Take a look at his latest report and make the most of your time on the water!
Mille Lacs Lake Fishing Report
07/06/2025
Water Temperature: 71 - 75 degrees
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Summary: The lake is full of tiny baitfish (perch) right now and coupled with a bug hatch, the bite has been rather tough. With all the readily available forage, you'll really need to coerce the fish into eating by working the bait slowly or by downsizing your presentation. Using live sonar, we have seen fish follow our baits long distances, only to turn away as soon as they catch up to them. We are still able to find and put quality fish in the boat, although the number of fish being caught each day is less than it was during the springtime. You can find success throwing a topwater during the morning in shallow, wind-protected areas. If you want to fish shallow reefs, you'll either have to find the reefs without the algae slime we call "rock snot" or you'll need to throw a bait that you can work higher in the water column such as a paddletail swimbait or a hairjig so you don't catch all the algae on the bottom. Our most successful way of putting quality fish in the boat has been targeting deeper rock structure in 13-16 feet of water on the Beast Coast Open Water Sniper Jig or by slowly working a Ned rig in the same areas.
Mille Lacs Lake Fishing Report
06/30/2025
Water Temperature: 69 - 72 degrees
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Summary: The spawn is pretty much done now with lots of empty beds up shallow and algae covering them. Most of our quality bites are coming deeper than in shallow water. The minnow style baits are continuing to excel in the 10-15 foot depth range with the Ned rig also beginning to result in a lot of good fish as well. The "dog days" of summer are upon us, but there are still lots of fish to be caught!
Mille Lacs Lake Fishing Report
06/21/2025
Water Temperature: 63 - 68 degrees
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Summary: We are finally getting some HOT days up here in Minnesota and the water is warming up very fast. A lot of the areas that were productive in the springtime are covered in slimy algae and difficult to fish around. The fish also don't care for these "slimy" rocks and are congregating more in deeper water where the sunlight cannot grow that algae. We are not getting many bites on vertical presentations such as football jigs and Ned rigs right now, but rather, we are catching decent numbers and quality on "search baits" such as swimbaits and mid-strolling a minnow style bait. The fish are beginning to scatter around all over the place and beginning to get pickier as we continue through the post spawn.
Mille Lacs Lake Fishing Report
06/13/2025
Water Temperature: 59 - 60 degrees
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Summary: The main lake has really cooled off with the cold weather and rain we've received this past week. The majority of fish have pulled off beds in the shallows and are now back to cruising the mid-range depths and recovering from the spawn. Almost every fish we caught was either spitting up crawdads or perch as we were pulling them in. The baitfish are plentiful, and as long as you stay around them, you will catch fish. The Beast Coast Open Water Sniper Jig continues to be our number one contributor while fan casting a minnow-style bait has also brought in some quality bites. It's a great time to continue putting big ones in the boat - you might just have to put up with a little crummy weather!
Mille Lacs Lake Fishing Report
06/07/2025
Water Temperature: 64 - 67 degrees
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Summary: The fish are all over the place right now although a majority of the big females are finished spawning. You can see lots of males still on beds, but also, lots of empty beds. The algae is starting to grow in on the shallower flats, making a bottom contact bait difficult to use. We are catching fish on topwater in the mornings near spawning flats and targeting deeper fish with a small swim bait. You can honestly catch fish anywhere from 2-18 feet of water right now, depending on what you like to throw. The water temperature is warming up extremely quickly and I can see the bite getting more difficult as we move into our true summer months.
Mille Lacs Lake Fishing Report
05/31/2025
Water Temperature: 63 - 65 degrees
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Summary: The smallmouth are still in all three phases of the spawn, although a majority of them are on beds right now. I prefer leaving bedding fish alone and targeting either pre spawn fish or post spawn fish out in deeper water. We've had somewhat of a small algae bloom along with a midge fly hatch to go with it which has "dirtied up" the water a little and also provided an abundance of food for the fish. You can still target pre spawn fish with a small paddletail swimbait or a hair jig while the post spawn fish can be had with a topwater. It's still a fantastic time to get out and catch big ones before they all spread out during the summer months!
Mille Lacs Lake Fishing Report
05/24/2025
Water Temperature: 53 - 57 degrees
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Summary: Memorial Weekend is upon us and the warmer weather is finally starting to roll in! The wind will be light and variable through the weekend, allowing the water to warm up even quicker. The pre spawn bite is still fantastic, with true giant fish being caught in 8-10 feet of water on a small swimbait and football jig. We are seeing more fish push up shallower as the water warms up into the mid to upper 50s. Those fish can be caught fan casting a black maribou hairjig on long casts. Good luck to everyone fishing this weekend and let us never forget those who gave the ultimate sacrifice so we can enjoy the freedoms we have! Happy Memorial Weekend!
Mille Lacs Lake Fishing Report
05/22/2025
Water Temperature: 49 - 52 degrees
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Summary: The cold fronts this week have dropped the water temps pretty significantly around the lake. Most of the fish have pushed out of the shallows due to this and have relocated into the 8-12 foot depth range. Most of our success came outside of spawning flats off the first "edge" with some sort of cover and structure for the bass to hold onto. This cover/structure consisted of drop offs (some of small as 1-2 feet), bottom composition transitions, and rock piles. If these areas also had the presence of baitfish such as perch, you would find the smallmouth and walleye close by. The small swimbait and the football were the two baits we locked in our hands to put all of our fish in the boat.
Mille Lacs Lake Fishing Report
05/12/2025
Water Temperature: 53 - 58 degrees
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Summary: The Minnesota Fishing Opener was this past weekend and we had some great weather to accompany us on the water. A warming trend had the water temperature a bit warmer than usual and there are plenty of males that are cruising around the shallow spawning flats getting their beds ready for the spawn. The larger females are still out a big deeper in the 6-12 foot depth range. Dragging a football jig, Ned rig, and fan-casting a swimbait has been putting fish in the boat. We've got some colder weather coming in the next couple weeks which should slow down the progression of the spawn, but that'll allow for some great opportunities to target pre-spawn fish!
Mille Lacs Lake Fishing Report
11/14/2024
Water Temperature: 38 - 41 degrees
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Summary: We are wrapping up the 2024 season here pretty quickly. As the water touches the 30s, the blade bait and small swimbait have become the few baits that are still getting bites. Fishing deep and slow in 20 + feet of water is the ticket this time of year. Good luck if you still get out for a few last outings!
Mille Lacs Lake Fishing Report
10/29/2024
Water Temperature: 47 - 49 degrees
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Summary: If you can deal with the cold, THIS IS THE TIME OF YEAR TO BE ON THE WATER. Anglers who fish Mille Lacs often wait all year for these conditions. When the water temps hit the 40s, the biggest bags of the year get caught. We have been catching numerous 25+ pound bags (five fish) as the fish are feeding hard on the tullibee moving up to spawn. Mid strolling a minnow style bait has been the only rod on the deck for the last week or so, as it's putting both numbers and quality in the boat.
Mille Lacs Lake Fishing Report
10/17/2024
Water Temperature: 52 - 57 degrees
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Summary: We have been getting really cold nights in the low 30s which has really been cooling the water quickly. Fishing deep in the morning and moving up shallow during the middle of the day is best with the shallower water warming up a few degrees as the sun gets high. We are getting lots of bites out deep on the football jig and Ned rig while the chatterbait is the shallow MVP. The Minnesota rig is also getting a good number of bites when we are fan casting and searching for active schools.
Mille Lacs Lake Fishing Report
10/09/2024
Water Temperature: 57 - 59 degrees
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Summary: When the water temps start hitting the upper 50s, the smallmouth really start schooling up heavily, and much shallower than you would think. We are finding large schools (catching 10 - 20 fish in one spot) in less than 6 feet of water. The chatterbait and small swimbait are getting a lot of bites for us. Once the school slows down a bit, the football jig will clean up and get you a few more bites. As is the case with the fall, finding active fish is the most important thing. If you aren't getting many bites, you aren't in the right area. Keep moving!
Mille Lacs Lake Fishing Report
09/19/2024
Water Temperature: 62 - 65 degrees
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Summary: The fall feed bags are starting up here on Mille Lacs. Smallmouth and feeding heavily and every fish we've put in the boat the last week or so has been chunky and fat. They are still keying in on baitfish and crawdads so the small swimbait and football jig are still producing a lot of good bites for us. The colder nights really have the fish snapping so it's a great time to get out!
Mille Lacs Lake Fishing Report
09/10/2024
Water Temperature: 68 - 70 degrees
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Summary: Smallmouth are beginning to congregate in their typical fall locations now that we've had a couple crisp nights. They will still primarily be located around baitfish (perch) schools, but you can definitely still catch them around rocky flats and reefs in 8 - 12 feet of water. The small swimbait continues to shine with the addition of the jerkbait and Minnesota rig catching a good number of fish as well. Covering water until you find active school is extremely important this time of year; don't waste too much time in an area where you aren't getting many bites.
Mille Lacs Lake Fishing Report
08/24/2024
Water Temperature: 73 - 75 degrees
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Summary: Locating large clumps of eel grass has been the most productive for smallmouth this last week on the water. The eel grass is holding large schools of perch which in turn draws in the smallmouth. The small swimbait has been the main contributor to putting bites in the boat, while the Ned rig continues to shine when the school of fish starts to slow down. Most of the eel grass we've found to be holding fish is in 12 - 16 feet of water.
Mille Lacs Lake Fishing Report
07/26/2024
Water Temperature: 75 - 78 degrees
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Summary: The summer bite tends to be the most difficult for smallmouth on Mille Lacs. You can find fish super shallow casting a topwater or wacky senko around reefs or you can target fish out on isolated boulders in 10 - 20 feet of water. The most important thing to look for when trying to find large schools is the presence of baitfish. Right now the perch are perfect eating size for the smallmouth and you'll find them around eel grass. For fish that are out deeper, a drop shot and Ned rig are working best.
Mille Lacs Lake Fishing Report
08/07/2024
Water Temperature: 75 - 78 degrees
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Summary: Finding most of our bigger bites in 10 + feet of water outside of rocky flats with isolated boulders. The best way to get the quality bites continues to be a Ned rig on those isolated boulders while the small swimbait continues to catch fish as we work from one boulder to the next on the flats. We've also been able to get some good bites on a football jig out deep along transition lines.
Mille Lacs Lake Fishing Report
07/11/2024
Water Temperature: 70 - 73 degrees​​
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Summary: Still seeing the effects of the mayfly hatch, although the hair jig bite is definitely excelling at the moment. Targeting expansive rock flats in 6 - 10 feet of water with a black marabou hair jig has been putting both numbers and quality in the boat. Reeling the hair jig as slowly as possible while keeping it off the bottom is key, as the bites have been light and fish are "short-striking" at times.
Mille Lacs Lake Fishing Report
07/04/2024
Water Temperature:​​ 68 - 71 degrees
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Summary: Fish are currently in what we call the "post-spawn funk" where they are recovering from the spawn and harder to catch. In addition to this, we just experienced a mayfly hatch which supplies the fish with an abundance of food, making them less inclined to chase our lures. Fishing a Ned rig slowly around isolated rock piles seems to be most productive at the moment. Most fish are being caught without moving the bait; just maintaining bottom contact and a taut line.
Mille Lacs Lake Fishing Report
06/10/2024
Water Temperature:​​ 62 - 64 degrees
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Summary: Most of the fish are currently in the spawning phase of the season. Targeting the fish that are in 6 - 10 feet of water on isolated boulders has been resulting in less quantity but more quality bites. Most of the larger fish are keying in on the small swimbait and hair jig. With warming water temps, the algae is also starting to dirty up the water a little bit so visibility is not as good as it was to begin the season.
Mille Lacs Lake Fishing Report
06/02/2024
Water Temperature:​​ 59 - 62 degrees
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Summary: There are many fish up shallow with large groups of fish cruising around 6 - 10 feet of water. Targeting fish outside of spawning bays with a topwater has produced lots of great strikes and big fish that are just waiting for the right time to move up and spawn. The key players are the small swimbait and the hairjig right now, but a pencil style or popping topwater is also producing good fish.
Mille Lacs Lake Fishing Report
05/25/2024
Water Temperature:​​ 54 - 57 degrees
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Summary: Fish are being caught both deep and shallow although we are beginning to see males move up shallow in "wolf packs". Finding isolated cover such as large boulders or rock piles in between deep and shallow water is key. Throwing at these keys areas with a Ned rig and dropshot works best, while fan casting the small swimbait and hair jig is still putting numbers in the boat. In the middle of the day when the sun is high and the water is the warmest, you can find a topwater bite in the shallows.
Mille Lacs Lake Fishing Report
05/18/2024
Water Temperature:​​ 49 - 51 degrees
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Summary: Smallmouth are still mainly in their wintering areas, but are beginning to push toward shallower water in anticipation of the upcoming spawn. We are currently seeing fish in their textbook "pre-spawn" phase of the year. You can expect to find fish coming up from deep wintering holes near the first "break" with cover or structure. Targeting fish with jerkbaits, Ned rigs, hair jigs, and small swimbaits is most productive at the moment.