Minnesota · Kanabec County

Ann Lake Fishing guide

Ann Lake covers 654 acres in Kanabec County, Minnesota, reaching 17 ft at its deepest point. Average water clarity runs about 3.6 ft. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 10 times, most recently in 2021, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill in the nets.

Open the live map → Survey data

Depth to 17 ft · top 5 summer marks

Surface654 ac

Max depth17 ft

Clarity3.6 ft

Littoral92%

Surveyed2021

How to fish Ann Lake through the year

Walleye

Spring: Walleye are shallow, on and just off the spawning flats and the first green weeds. In 3.6 ft of visibility, they sit shallower than you think.
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. With 92% of this lake 15 ft or shallower, the weed edge is the main event.
Fall: Walleye are packing onto the sharpest breaks and points as the water cools, in big schools with short windows. A 17-ft bowl cools fast, so the fall window comes early here.

Largemouth bass

Spring: Largemouth are moving up into the warming bays and flats, staging around wood, docks and new weeds to spawn. In 3.6 ft of visibility, they sit shallower than you think.
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. With 92% of this lake 15 ft or shallower, the weed edge is the main event.
Fall: Largemouth are chasing bait back onto the flats and into the remaining green weeds, feeding hard and shallow before the freeze. A 17-ft bowl cools fast, so the fall window comes early here.

Season patterns for each species. Open the live map for today's wind, light and water temp.

Size history

Biggest fish by survey year

Survey year	Walleye	Largemouth bass	Northern pike
2021	27"	16"	31"
2015	23"	20"	31"
2010	21"	—	36"
2005	26"	18"	37"
1998	21"	17"	32"
1993	26"	18"	28"

Longest fish measured by DNR survey crews in each year's nets. Survey gear samples the population, so the lake usually holds larger fish than any survey measured.

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

8–35 ftslow

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Walleye · Soft plastics

Curly-Tail Grub on Jig

3" curly-tail grub threaded on a round jighead

3–25 ftslow

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Largemouth bass · Soft plastics

Texas-Rigged Worm

7" ribbon-tail or straight-tail plastic worm

1–25 ftdead slow

Shop plastic worms →

Largemouth bass · Soft plastics

Wacky-Rigged Stickworm

5" stickworm

1–12 ftdead slowweedless

Shop stickworms →

Northern pike · Soft plastics

Paddletail Swimbait on Jighead

4–5" paddletail swimbait on a ball-head swimbait jighead

3–25 ftmoderate

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Northern pike · Jigs & bladed

Spinnerbait

3/8–1/2 oz safety-pin spinnerbait with tandem willow-leaf blades

1–12 ftmoderate

Shop spinnerbaits →

Full setups, including hooks, weights and line, are on the live map. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

DNR stocking records

Stocking history

Year	Species	Stocked
2025	Walleye	300,000 fry
2023	Walleye	300,000 fry
2022	Walleye	600,000 fry
2020	Walleye	558,601 fry
2018	Walleye	600,000 fry
2016	Walleye	600,000 fry

MN DNR · in their words

From the 2021 survey

Ann Lake is a 653-acre lake located in Kanabec County managed primarily for Walleye and Northern Pike. The water level is maintained by a DNR dam on the north end of the lake. Lakeshore development is relatively light due largely to the wildlife management area on the southeast and northeast shores. Shallow water substrates are dominated by sand but water quality can be an issue. Like most shallow fertile lakes, Ann is subject to fairly heavy algae blooms in summer which limit water clarity. An additional concern is curly-leaf pondweed densities in late spring and early summer. There is currently only one public boat access on the lake with limited parking. Although natural Walleye reproduction occurs, the lake is stocked with Walleye fry in even numbered years.

Overall, the fishing on Ann Lake for many species should be good, with opportunities to catch Walleye, Northern Pike, Black Crappie, Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, Yellow Perch, and Channel Catfish. The 2021 Walleye catch of 1.9/gill net was slightly below the long-term average on the lake, but the average fish sampled was 17.8 inches, about two inches longer than the long term average. Northern Pike populations tend to be low but the size range of 20-31 inches sampled in 2021 should provide harvest opportunities below and above the north central pike zone protected slot (22-26 inches).

Read the full DNR narrative

Black Crappie numbers vary from year to year, but the 2021 gill net catch rate was the highest recorded for Ann Lake. Lengths ranged from 4.5 to 11 inches. Bluegill numbers remained within the average for this lake type, with a good average length of 7.1 inches and fish up to 9 inches present.

The Largemouth Bass catch rate was 30.5 per hour in 2021, similar to 31.7 per hour caught in 2015. Mean length was 11.3 inches with a range of 5.4 to 16.2 inches. As an added bonus for anglers, the Channel Catfish population appears to be near an all-time high based on historical information.

Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.

Recent reports

Ann Lake fishing reports

Recent reports on Ann 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.

Open the live map → Fished it lately? Write a report

Kanabec County reports

Public water access

Getting on the water

Ann Lake (trailer launch)

DNR bathymetry

Ann Lake depth map

Ann Lake depth contour map, Kanabec County, Minnesota — Depth contours to 17 ft from Minnesota DNR bathymetry, free to save or print. The live map adds ranked spots and conditions on the same contours.

Within 30 miles

Nearby lakes

Knife Lake · 1,259 ac · 6.2 mi
Fish Lake · 506 ac · 7.1 mi
Devils Lake · 59 ac · 7.8 mi
Quamba Lake · 226 ac · 11 mi
Lewis Lake · 179 ac · 11.8 mi
Pomroy Lake · 412 ac · 12.8 mi
Lory Lake · 222 ac · 13.7 mi
Seventeen Lake · 32 ac · 17.3 mi

Quick answers

Frequently asked questions

How deep is Ann Lake?

Ann Lake reaches 17 ft at its deepest point; about 92% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).

How big is Ann Lake?

Ann Lake covers 654 acres with about 11.4 miles of shoreline.

How clear is the water in Ann Lake?

DNR Secchi readings on Ann Lake average 3.6 ft of visibility, on the stained end for a Minnesota lake.

What fish are in Ann Lake?

Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2021) record walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, rock bass, channel catfish.

Is Ann Lake stocked?

Yes. The DNR stocked walleye in 2025; the stocking table on this page lists every year back to 2016.

Does Ann Lake have a public access?

Yes. Ann Lake has one public access site: Ann Lake (trailer launch).

How big do walleye get in Ann Lake?

The biggest walleye measured in recent DNR surveys taped 27"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 1993.

When was Ann Lake last surveyed?

The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Ann Lake in 2021, the most recent of 10 surveys on record.

Page updated September 22, 2026.

The live map adds today's conditions and ranked spots for Ann Lake, plus a trip plan you can share:

Open Ann Lake on the live map → Fished it lately? Write a report