Mille Lacs Lake Esox by Brian Kaiser

Take a look across Mille Lacs Lake and you see nothing but water! It’s almost as if you are standing on the shores of an Ocean. It is roughly 132,000 acres in size with about 100 miles of shoreline. Mille Lacs is relatively shallow with a maximum depth of around 40 feet. It is known by some as the Walleye Capital of the world. However, walleyes are not the only predator to inhabit these waters.

Muskies and pike abound in these waters and because of the rich forage base of perch and tullibee these fish grow fast and are generally above average in weight. All northern Pike between 26 and 36 inches must be returned to the water immediately and only one over 36 may be kept, this restriction helps ensure a quality pike fishery. Mille Lacs is not filled to the brim with hammer handle size pike but you can expect to see many fish in the 5 to 15 pound range with good regularity.

Best pike action may occur through the ice, but if your not a big fan of winter activities June, July and August are also very good times. Concentrate on Cabbage beds. In most cases if you can find cabbage there are pike and or muskie near by. I have found that fishing can be quite productive if you are right inside the weed beds not on the edge as most anglers might think.

Although there was some experimental muskie stocking in the 1960’s much of the stocking took place in 1980’s and early 90’s. Now in day’s muskies are showing up in good numbers all over the lake. Many fish are better than 40 inches with more and more fish being caught each year from 45 to 50.

If you have never fished Mille Lacs the shear size may intimidate you. Not to worry, the best way I have found to fish the big lake is little by little taking one chunk at a time, similar to eating a elephant one bite at a time.

There are many reputable guides on the lake that will put you on fish. If you are not interested in spending money on a guide and assuming you did spend the money on a good map, here are a few places to start hunting. Cove, Wahkon, Isle and Vineland bays are all good places to find muskies and pike. Find cabbage beds, lock them in on your GPS if need be and start a milk run. The going might be tough at first, but hang in there and pay your dues and something good is sure to happen.

One last note on fishing the big waters of Mille Lacs. Think safety and don’t travel out too far if you have a small watercraft. Watch the wind and be prepared to leave the lake at any given time. The water can turn very turbulent in a flick of the switch!

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Brian Kaiser
Phone: 218 841 3534
Email: brian@kaisertail.com