Minnesota · Crow Wing County

Camp Lake Fishing guide

Camp Lake is a 534-acre lake in Crow Wing County, Minnesota, reaching 42 ft at its deepest point. Average water clarity runs about 11.3 ft. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 6 times, most recently in 2023, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill in the nets.

Open the live map → Survey data

Depth to 42 ft · top 5 summer marks

Surface534 ac

Max depth42 ft

Clarity11.3 ft

Littoral39%

Surveyed2023

How to fish Camp Lake through the year

Northern pike

Spring: Pike are in the shallow bays and along new weed growth. At 11.3 ft of clarity, fish them deeper and lighter than usual.
Early summer: Pike are on the outside weed edge and points.
Summer: Pike are on the deep weed edge and points near the coolest water they can find. On a lake that drops to 42 ft, check the deep edge of that structure too.
Fall: Pike are on the last green weeds and the breaks beside them, feeding heavily as the water drops.

Largemouth bass

Spring: Largemouth are moving up into the warming bays and flats, staging around wood, docks and new weeds to spawn. At 11.3 ft of clarity, fish them deeper and lighter than usual.
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 42 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.

Size history

Biggest fish by survey year

Survey year	Northern pike	Largemouth bass	Yellow perch
2021	31"	17"	6"
2014	34"	18"	5"
2006	33"	19"	7"

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:

Northern pike · Soft plastics

Paddletail Swimbait on Jighead

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

3–25 ftmoderate

Shop paddletail swimbaits →

Northern pike · Muskie & pike

Soft Rubber (Bull Dawg / Medusa)

10" soft rubber body bait

3–25 ftslow

Shop musky rubber →

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

Free Rig

Creature bait or magnum finesse worm

8–30 ftdead slowweedless

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Yellow perch · Live bait

Drop-Shot + Live Bait

leech

10–40 ftdead slow

Shop drop shot hooks →

Yellow perch · Soft plastics

Drop Shot (Finesse Plastic)

4" finesse worm or 3" minnow-profile plastic

8–40 ftdead slowweedless

Shop finesse plastics →

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 2023 survey

A targeted survey of the nearshore fish community in Camp Lake was conducted by Fisheries Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program Staff from 19-20 July 2023. Fourteen sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 15-foot or 50-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at all 14 sites with 4 sites sampled from the boat. A 50-foot seine was used to sample four sites, a 15-foot seine was used at six sites, and dense vegetation or deep soft sediments prevented seining at 4 sites. Nearshore sampling captured 20 native species of fish including six species that are intolerant of disturbance (Banded Killifish, Blackchin Shiner, Blacknose Shiner, Iowa Darter, Mottled Sculpin, and Rock Bass) and one species (Green Sunfish) that is tolerant of disturbance.

The nearshore data were combined with trap net and gill net data from a June 2021 survey to describe the fish community and provide a Fish-based IBI (FIBI) score. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health, and the types of fish species present can help identify any stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake environment. In Minnesota lakes, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and a healthy habitat (e.g., Blackchin Shiner, Iowa Darter, and Rock Bass), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g., Black Bullhead, Fathead Minnow, and Green Sunfish). The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. An additional survey was completed on Camp Lake in July 2020 resulting in a similar FIBI score. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website.

Read the full DNR narrative

Data from this survey indicates the fish community in Camp Lake is in good health as indicated by an FIBI score well above the impairment threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes. These results are similar to previous survey findings, which indicated that Camp Lake is fully supporting for aquatic life use. Data from this survey will contribute biological information about the health of the fish community to Rum River Watershed assessment process in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.

Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.

Recent reports

Camp Lake fishing reports

Recent reports on Camp 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

Crow Wing County reports

Public water access

Getting on the water

Camp Lake (trailer launch)

DNR bathymetry

Camp Lake depth map

Camp Lake depth contour map, Crow Wing County, Minnesota — Depth contours to 42 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

Barbour Lake · 56 ac · 1.9 mi
Smith Lake · 491 ac · 2.1 mi
Holt Lake · 164 ac · 2.2 mi
Erskine Lake · 182 ac · 2.6 mi
Whitefish Lake · 709 ac · 3.4 mi
Rock Lake · 203 ac · 4.3 mi
Borden Lake · 1,011 ac · 4.8 mi
Platte Lake · 1,663 ac · 5.5 mi

Quick answers

Frequently asked questions

How deep is Camp Lake?

Camp Lake reaches 42 ft at its deepest point; about 39% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).

How big is Camp Lake?

Camp Lake covers 534 acres with about 9.1 miles of shoreline.

How clear is the water in Camp Lake?

DNR Secchi readings on Camp Lake average 11.3 ft of visibility, clear water for a Minnesota lake.

What fish are in Camp Lake?

Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2023) record walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, rock bass.

Is Camp Lake stocked?

No stocking is on record for Camp Lake in the DNR's stocking database.

Does Camp Lake have a public access?

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

How big do northern pike get in Camp Lake?

The biggest northern pike measured in recent DNR surveys taped 31"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 2006.

When was Camp Lake last surveyed?

The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Camp Lake in 2023, the most recent of 6 surveys on record.

Page updated September 22, 2026.

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

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