Minnesota · Itasca County
Anderson Lake Fishing guide
Anderson Lake sits in Itasca County, Minnesota, and covers 295 acres, reaching 110 ft at its deepest point. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 5 times, most recently in 2004, with walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and northern pike in the nets. That survey is 22 years old now.
DNR survey data
Fish species
The DNR last surveyed Anderson Lake in 2004. Ratings need a survey from the last 20 years, so this page lists the species from that older record without numbers.
- Walleye
- Largemouth bass
- Smallmouth bass
- Northern pike
- Bluegill
- Crappie
- Yellow perch
- Rock bass
How to fish Anderson Lake through the year
Walleye
- Spring
- Walleye are shallow, on and just off the spawning flats and the first green weeds.
- Early summer
- Walleye are setting up on the outside weed edge, points and shallow structure.
- Summer
- Walleye are working the weed edge, points and any wind-blown structure. On a lake that drops to 110 ft, check the deep edge of that structure too.
- Fall
- Walleye are packing onto the sharpest breaks and points as the water cools, in big schools with short windows.
Largemouth bass
- Spring
- Largemouth are moving up into the warming bays and flats, staging around wood, docks and new weeds to spawn.
- Early summer
- Largemouth are on the shallow spawning flats and protected bays, where beds go on firm bottom next to isolated cover.
- Summer
- Largemouth are in and along the weeds: cabbage and milfoil edges, matted cover and shade. On a lake that drops to 110 ft, check the deep edge of that structure too.
- Fall
- Largemouth are chasing bait back onto the flats and into the remaining green weeds, feeding hard and shallow before the freeze.
Season patterns for each species. Open the live map for today's wind, light and water temp.
Suggested tackle
What to bring
Top presentations for this lake's structure and clarity:
Walleye · Live bait
Live-Bait (Lindy) Rig + Leech/Crawler
jumbo leech or half a nightcrawler
Walleye · Trolling
Leadcore Line + Crankbaits
4–5" mid-diving crankbait behind a long leadcore run
Largemouth bass · Soft plastics
Texas-Rigged Worm
7" ribbon-tail or straight-tail plastic worm
Largemouth bass · Soft plastics
Free Rig
Creature bait or magnum finesse worm
Smallmouth bass · Hardbaits
Walk-the-Dog Topwater
4–4.5" walk-the-dog topwater
Smallmouth bass · Soft plastics
Ned Rig
2.75" finesse stickbait or craw-style Ned bait
Full setups, including hooks, weights and line, are on the live map. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
MN DNR · in their words
From the 2004 survey
Anderson Lake is a walleye-centrarchid lake located about 10 miles southeast of Bigfork, MN. The lake has 274 acres, a maximum depth of 110 feet and a Secchi disk reading of 9 feet. Stocking of walleye, northern pike and largemouth bass has occurred only a few times since 1930. No fish have been stocked since 1973. The northern pike population is characterized by low numbers (1.7/gill net) of small fish. The mean weight of those sampled in the gill net was 1.4 pounds. Age 2-4 fish made up 90% of the catch. Growth was within 15% of the statewide averages. The walleye population appears to have improved over the past years, entirely from natural reproduction. No walleye stocking has occurred since 1958. In this survey, walleye were sampled at 2.5/gill net. The walleye sampled ranged in length from 7.4 to 18.2 inches and had a mean length of 14.2 inches. They had a mean weight of 0.9 pounds. Seven year classes were represented in the testnetting. In addition to the walleye sampled in the testnetting, many were observed during the bass electrofishing portion of the survey in mid-June. Three and four year old walleye made up 57% of the catch. Few bass were sampled in this assessment. Only one largemouth bass was sampled in the testnetting and only one in the bass electrofishing survey in June. Smallmouth bass, never before observed in Anderson Lake, were sampled in this survey. Only one was sampled in the gill net and one in the electrofishing survey. Black crappie were sampled in the trap net at 1.1/set but none were sampled in the gill nets. They were of quality size as indicated by a PSD of 100 and an RSD-P of 70. They ranged in length from 8.1 to 12.6 inches and had a mean length of 10.8 inches. Growth was excellent. Bluegill were sampled in low numbers at 0.3/gill net and only 1.9/trap net. Both were well below the 1st quartile for this lake class. Those sampled in the trap net ranged in length from 3.5 to 9.9 inches and had a mean length of 7.6 inches. Similar to bluegill, growth was excellent. Yellow perch were sampled near the lake class 1st quartile at 2.0/gill net. Other species sampled in this survey were rock bass, white sucker, pumpkinseed sunfish and yellow bullhead.
Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.
Recent reports
Anderson Lake fishing reports
Recent reports on Anderson Lake from guides, tournaments and regular anglers. Anything posted in the last two weeks also bumps the matching spots on the live map, so you'll see a "matches a recent report" tag on them.
DNR bathymetry
Anderson Lake depth map
Within 30 miles
Nearby lakes
- Gale Lake · 86 ac · 1.8 mi
- Antler Lake · 234 ac · 2.8 mi
- Lost Lake · 89 ac · 2.9 mi
- Beaver Lake · 58 ac · 3.1 mi
- Owen Lake · 268 ac · 3.4 mi
- Eagle Lake · 285 ac · 4.3 mi
- Napoleon Lake · 138 ac · 4.4 mi
- Horseshoe Lake · 142 ac · 5.1 mi
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How deep is Anderson Lake?
Anderson Lake reaches 110 ft at its deepest point with a mean depth of 30 ft; about 24% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).
How big is Anderson Lake?
Anderson Lake covers 295 acres with about 7.1 miles of shoreline.
What fish are in Anderson Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2004) record walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, rock bass.
Is Anderson Lake stocked?
No stocking is on record for Anderson Lake in the DNR's stocking database.
When was Anderson Lake last surveyed?
The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Anderson Lake in 2004, the most recent of 5 surveys on record. That is more than 20 years ago, so this page lists species without ratings.
Page updated .
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