Minnesota · Itasca County
East Smith Lake Fishing guide
East Smith Lake sits in Itasca County, Minnesota, and covers 152 acres, reaching 38 ft at its deepest point. Secchi readings average around 11 ft of visibility. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 3 times, most recently in 2009, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill in the nets. That survey is 17 years old now.
DNR survey data
Fish species
No recent survey rating.
Northern pikeJust a few4.7per gill net19"Typical36"Biggest
Lengths measured · 32 fish
BluegillJust a few8per trap net7"Typical9"Biggest
Lengths measured · 108 fish
CrappieJust a few3.4per trap net9"Typical11"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 East Smith 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 11 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.
- 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 11 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.
- 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
Yellow perch · Soft plastics
Drop Shot (Finesse Plastic)
4" finesse worm or 3" minnow-profile plastic
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 2009 survey
East Smith Lake is a 145 acre lake located five miles southeast of Marcell, MN in the Big Fork River watershed. The lake is in ecological lake class 32. Lakes in this class are small, have moderate clarity and depth, and relatively soft water. Other area lakes in this class include Big Ole, Black Island and Highland Lakes.
The northern pike gill-net catch in 2009 was similar to the previous survey and within the expected range at 4.7/net. Size structure was fairly poor; sampled pike had a mean length of 19.1 inches and a mean weight of 1.9 pounds. Few pike over 25 inches have been sampled in previous surveys, although one large (36.8 inch) northern pike was captured in this assessment. Recruitment appeared fairly consistent, with ages 1 - 5 represented in the sample. Growth was similar to the lake class average for all ages, with individuals reaching 19.8 inches in 4 years.
Read the full DNR narrative
Bluegill were the most abundant species in the trap nets, with a catch rate of 8.0/net. This is down from the previous survey and below the lake class first quartile. Bluegill size structure was modest; fish ranged from 3.5 to 9.0 inches with a mean length of 7.0 inches. Recruitment appeared consistent, with ages 3, 4, and 6 - 11 represented in the sample. Growth rates were similar to the lake class average for all ages, with individuals reaching 6.4 inches in 7 years.
The trap-net catch for black crappie was up from the previous assessment and near the lake class third quartile at 3.4/net. Sampled crappie ranged from 6.2 to 11.6 inches with a mean length of 9.3 inches. Ages 3 - 10 were represented in the sample and growth was below 85% of the statewide average for all ages, with individuals reaching 8.9 inches in 6 years.
Yellow perch were sampled at a rate of 1.3/gill net, down from the previous assessment but within the expected range for this lake class. Largemouth bass were sampled at 0.7/gill net, up from the previous survey and within the expected range. Angler reports suggest the lake supports a fairly good bass population. Electrofishing would likely provide better information on this species.
Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.
Recent reports
East Smith Lake fishing reports
Recent reports on East Smith 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
East Smith Lake depth map
Within 30 miles
Nearby lakes
- Dock Lake · 30 ac · 0.9 mi
- Caribou Lake · 247 ac · 1.6 mi
- Big Ole Lake · 217 ac · 2 mi
- Big Island Lake · 244 ac · 2.2 mi
- Crooked Lake · 135 ac · 2.6 mi
- North Star Lake · 832 ac · 2.6 mi
- Dead Horse Lake · 105 ac · 3 mi
- Ruby Lake · 235 ac · 3.2 mi
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How deep is East Smith Lake?
East Smith Lake reaches 38 ft at its deepest point; about 45% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).
How big is East Smith Lake?
East Smith Lake covers 152 acres with about 5 miles of shoreline.
How clear is the water in East Smith Lake?
DNR Secchi readings on East Smith Lake average 11 ft of visibility, clear water for a Minnesota lake.
What fish are in East Smith Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2009) record walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch.
Is East Smith Lake stocked?
No stocking is on record for East Smith Lake in the DNR's stocking database.
How big do largemouth bass get in East Smith Lake?
The biggest largemouth bass measured in recent DNR surveys taped 15".
When was East Smith Lake last surveyed?
The Minnesota DNR last surveyed East Smith Lake in 2009, the most recent of 3 surveys on record. A survey that old is a starting point, not a current reading.
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