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Posts: 48
| Hi All,
This would be my first trip to Minnesota targeting Muskies. Which lake would you recommend for first time going to MN? I was kind of debating between Leach and Vermilion. I do not have a big enough boat for Milacs and was told that smaller Lund boats would have a really hard time in big wind. I am planning this trip probably end of September or so. Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance
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Posts: 91
| Vermillion on the west end. Plenty of protected bays to fish in. Recommend Spring Bay Resort. The owners will help you get on fish. |
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Posts: 1763
| I have heard good things about Cass. |
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Posts: 48
| Hoffy - 6/16/2020 5:41 PM
Vermillion on the west end. Plenty of protected bays to fish in. Recommend Spring Bay Resort. The owners will help you get on fish.
Thank you for your reply.. I have researched the resort and it seems pretty good. I just have to figure out good time in early spring to head up there.. |
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Posts: 2337
Location: Chisholm, MN | Sent you a pm. |
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Location: MN | If you think your boat is too small for Mille lacs chances are it is too small for most areas on leech. It’s a big lake and gets rough in a hurry.
If you want to fish a big lake vermilion west side is probably the place to go. Vermilion is going to be very busy this summer. If you want to avoid a lot of pressure and are okay with smaller lakes there are some regions that would offer lots of options. Kinda like northern Wisconsin but bigger fish. 
If you decide on vermilion you can’t go wrong with spring bay. Stevie and joe are awesome people. |
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Posts: 48
| Thanks.. I only threw up three of the lakes I know about and know they hold big fish. I would not be opposed to go to a smaller lake in the area just never been to MN period and dont know the area.
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Posts: 343
| Big Mantrap is a smaller lake that has had (not sure about now) a decent population of muskies. Lake Harriet in downtown Minneapolis has a fair population of muskies as well. I've done okay there wade and shore fishing. Minnesota has a decent amount of muskie lakes, though from what I hear and read many are fishing a lot harder due to lower populations than in years past. Leech has a pretty good population but is very large and is very dangerous when high winds occur just like Mille Lacs, a bigger boat is often a necessity to fish there safely, the fish are very pretty spotted fish, locals call them Leopard muskies. Good luck on your trip. |
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Posts: 1249
Location: Walker, MN | The only points I'll add;
-You can compare past tournament results to get an idea of productivity, average fish size, and an idea of realistic maximum fish size for different waters.
-Leech has nice fish in all of the smaller bays, so you can fish productively here in most weather situations.
-Late September is typically a great time to be on most MN lakes.
Good luck in your hunt! |
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Posts: 48
| Masqui-ninja - 6/20/2020 8:46 PM
The only points I'll add;
-You can compare past tournament results to get an idea of productivity, average fish size, and an idea of realistic maximum fish size for different waters.
-Leech has nice fish in all of the smaller bays, so you can fish productively here in most weather situations.
-Late September is typically a great time to be on most MN lakes.
Good luck in your hunt!
Where would you find that tournament data for MN? I would be good to see some numbers |
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Posts: 650
Location: Duluth | The lakes you mentioned can be tough first time out. If you can hire a guide for a day it will be money well spent. Vermilion gets my vote, just don't expect numbers.
Edited by CincySkeez 6/22/2020 9:14 AM
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Posts: 52
| I'd take a look at the Little Boy/Wabedo chain in the Longville area and if winds are light, Leech is just to the north. Reports from Leech in September are usually pretty good.
There's Little Boy Resort and VRBOs that offer lodging options. |
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Posts: 409
Location: Almond, WI | The problem you run into a lot with a smaller boat on the big water in MN is that the big water is wind driven in a major way. As in you need to be fishing the windblown stuff in the roughest conditions to be on active fish (my big water experience is Vermilion and Cass). A rule I've developed is the bigger, clearer, and less weedy the lake, the more important wind is. All of the smaller lakes are weed fishing which isn't as wind dependent. The suggestion of the Longville area is solid, lots of options there and still fairly close to Leech. I'd also throw out the Bemidji area, several lakes of varying sizes from the 500 acre Little Wolf on up to the 15,000 acre Cass; also close enough you can drive to Leech for really big water or Mantrap or Elk for small water. Detroit Lakes might be another to consider, DL and Pelican are kind of mid-sized and you're not too far from smaller Many Point or Beers lake if wind is really bad. September is my favorite time to be there, specific timing varies from year to year usually mid to late is a safe bet. |
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Posts: 1000
| Head up to the Longville area and you can literally fish dozens of waters, including Leech. September is great all over - even the metro is fun. By then most of the pleasure boaters have pulled their boats and docks out for the year |
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