Minnesota · St. Louis County
Dewey Lake Fishing guide
Dewey Lake is a 201-acre lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota, reaching 40 ft at its deepest point. Secchi readings average around 12.5 ft of visibility. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 3 times, most recently in 2007, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill in the nets. That survey is 19 years old now.
DNR survey data
Fish species
Largemouth bassFair numbers33.6per hr (electrofishing)12"Typical19"Biggest
Lengths measured · 45 fish
Northern pikeFair numbers6.5per gill net23"Typical33"Biggest
Lengths measured · 45 fish
BluegillJust a few9.5per trap net4"Typical8"Biggest
Lengths measured · 94 fish
CrappieJust a few1.4per trap net8"Typical10"Biggest
Lengths measured · 19 fish
Yellow perchGood numbers5.2per gill net5"Typical8"Biggest
Lengths measured · 32 fish
Rates come from standard DNR survey gear (gill nets, trap nets, electrofishing), judged against statewide benchmarks for the same gear, so the same number of fish per net can read differently for two species. Where the standard gear can't count a species reliably, only presence and size are listed. Typical is the middle fish of those measured. Open a row for the full length spread, survey by survey.
How to fish Dewey Lake through the year
Largemouth bass
- Spring
- Largemouth are moving up into the warming bays and flats, staging around wood, docks and new weeds to spawn. At 12.5 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 40 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.
Northern pike
- Spring
- Pike are in the shallow bays and along new weed growth. At 12.5 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 40 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.
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:
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
Northern pike · Soft plastics
Paddletail Swimbait on Jighead
4–5" paddletail swimbait on a ball-head swimbait jighead
Northern pike · Muskie & pike
Soft Rubber (Bull Dawg / Medusa)
10" soft rubber body bait
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
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 2007 survey
Northern pike was the most abundant species sampled in gill nets. Pike were sampled at a rate exceeding the expected rate for lakes similar to Dewey Lake. The average weight was near the upper end of the expected range, while the average length was 24.3 inches. The longest fish sampled was 33.6 inches. A quality fishery exists with almost a quarter of captured pike exceeding the preferred length of 28 inches. Anglers can help the northern pike size structure and population by releasing fish larger than 24 inches and making use of the smaller sized fish. Comparing between previous assessments indicates an increasing trend in gill net catch rates. Growth was shown to be near the statewide average.
Passive sampling gears tend to inadequately sample bass populations. An active capture technique, electrofishing, was used to sample the largemouth bass population. Largemouth were sampled at a rate of 33.6 fish per hour. Captured largemouth averaged 13 inches long, and the longest was 19.7 inches. A quality fishery exists with a good portion of the largemouth population above 15 inches. Seining in the shallows sampled young-of-the-year largemouth, indicating natural reproduction. Growth was shown to be near the statewide average for most ages. This was the first assessment that electrofishing was used to sample the bass population. There was no bass sampled in the passive gears. The first and only time largemouth bass had been sampled previous to the 2007 lake survey was 1982.
Read the full DNR narrative
Two walleye were sampled at a rate well below the expected range. Previous assessments had catch rates similar to the 2007 assessment despite previous stockings. Because there was limited to no returns, walleye stocking was discontinued in 1986. It is doubtful that walleye are naturally occurring due to the lack of quality spawning habitat. It is possible that a few walleye have immigrated from the Shannon River system.
Tullibee were sampled at a rate within the expected range. This was a slight increase above the previous assessment, but below the historical average. Lengths averaged 16 inches, and the longest fish sampled was 19 inches. Historically, relatively larger sized fish have been sampled.
Yellow perch were sampled at a rate within the expected range. Historically, perch have been sampled in relatively low abundance. Angling opportunities are limited with an average length of six inches, and almost 100% of perch sampled were less than seven inches. Growth was shown to be near the statewide average.
Black crappie were sampled at rates within the expected ranges for both gill nets and trap nets. Lengths averaged about eight inches between the two gears. The longest was 10.2 inches, which was sampled in a gill net. A moderate angling opportunity exists for smaller sized fish with a few individuals exceeding the preferred length of 10 inches. Growth was shown to be similar to the statewide average for most ages.
Bluegill were sampled in trap nets within the expected range. No real correlation can be made between historic catch rates due to the inconsistent number of nets set in previous assessments. A limited fishery exists for quality size fish, with 64% of the population less than six inches. The longest fish sampled was 8.4 inches. Growth was shown to be the statewide average.
Other species sampled during the assessment include Iowa and Johnny darters, blacknose shiner, bluntnose minnow, common shiner, golden shiner, mottled sculpin, pumpkinseed, rock bass, spottail shiner, white sucker, and yellow perch.
Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.
Recent reports
Dewey Lake fishing reports
Recent reports on Dewey 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.
Public water access
Getting on the water
- Dewey Lake (trailer launch)
DNR bathymetry
Dewey Lake depth map
Within 30 miles
Nearby lakes
- Long Lake · 259 ac · 1.5 mi
- Shoe Pack Lake · 42 ac · 1.7 mi
- Deepwater Lake · 22 ac · 5.9 mi
- Perch Lake · 344 ac · 6 mi
- South Sturgeon Lake · 204 ac · 6.4 mi
- Little Sturgeon Lake · 272 ac · 6.8 mi
- Side Lake · 368 ac · 6.8 mi
- Pickerel Lake · 32 ac · 7.6 mi
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How deep is Dewey Lake?
Dewey Lake reaches 40 ft at its deepest point; about 38% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).
How big is Dewey Lake?
Dewey Lake covers 201 acres with about 4 miles of shoreline.
How clear is the water in Dewey Lake?
DNR Secchi readings on Dewey Lake average 12.5 ft of visibility, clear water for a Minnesota lake.
What fish are in Dewey Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2007) record walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, rock bass.
Is Dewey Lake stocked?
No stocking is on record for Dewey Lake in the DNR's stocking database.
Does Dewey Lake have a public access?
Yes. Dewey Lake has one public access site: Dewey Lake (trailer launch).
How big do largemouth bass get in Dewey Lake?
The biggest largemouth bass measured in recent DNR surveys taped 19".
When was Dewey Lake last surveyed?
The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Dewey Lake in 2007, the most recent of 3 surveys on record. A survey that old is a starting point, not a current reading.
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