Minnesota · DNR survey data

Lake intel

Analysis of Minnesota DNR lake survey data: which lakes clear the DNR's own catch-rate marks, and which ones fish better than their reputation.

What 3,649 Minnesota Lake Surveys Actually Say We loaded every Minnesota DNR lake survey we could get and compared them against the DNR's own catch-rate bands. The numbers support far fewer strong lakes than the state's reputation suggests.
6 Overlooked Largemouth Bass Lakes in Minnesota Largemouth bass water that fishes above its reputation, picked from 2,339 surveyed Minnesota lakes by DNR catch rate, fish size and trophy record.
6 Overlooked Walleye Lakes in Minnesota Walleye water that fishes above its reputation, picked from 2,281 surveyed Minnesota lakes by DNR catch rate, fish size and trophy record.
3 Overlooked Crappie Lakes in Minnesota Crappie water that fishes above its reputation, picked from 2,463 surveyed Minnesota lakes by DNR catch rate, fish size and trophy record.
3 Overlooked Bluegill Lakes in Minnesota Bluegill water that fishes above its reputation, picked from 2,669 surveyed Minnesota lakes by DNR catch rate, fish size and trophy record.
6 Overlooked Northern Pike Lakes in Minnesota Northern pike water that fishes above its reputation, picked from 3,109 surveyed Minnesota lakes by DNR catch rate, fish size and trophy record.
6 Overlooked Smallmouth Bass Lakes in Minnesota Smallmouth bass water that fishes above its reputation, picked from 730 surveyed Minnesota lakes by DNR catch rate, fish size and trophy record.
What is the first bass rod I should buy? We pulled every rod spec stated across 2,493 bass fishing videos to find the rod worth buying first. A 7'0" medium fast spinning rod won, and it fishes six finesse rigs.
How many rods do I need for bass fishing? We added up every rod spec three bass anglers stated on camera and ran the coverage math. Four rods reach eighty percent of what they fish. Here is the order to buy them in.