Minnesota · Crow Wing County

East Twin Lake Fishing guide

East Twin Lake covers 163 acres in Crow Wing County, Minnesota, reaching 45 ft at its deepest point. Average water clarity runs about 21 ft. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 6 times, most recently in 2017, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill in the nets. That survey is 9 years old now.

Open the live map → Survey data

Depth to 45 ft · top 5 summer marks

Surface163 ac

Max depth45 ft

Clarity21 ft

Littoral54%

Surveyed2017

How to fish East Twin 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 21 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 45 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 21 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 45 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.

Size history

Biggest fish by survey year

Survey year	Largemouth bass	Northern pike	Walleye
2017	21"	29"	27"
2008	18"	34"	26"
1996	13"	25"	23"

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:

Largemouth bass · Soft plastics

Texas-Rigged Worm

7" ribbon-tail or straight-tail plastic worm

1–25 ftdead slow

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Largemouth bass · Soft plastics

Free Rig

Creature bait or magnum finesse worm

8–30 ftdead slowweedless

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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

Inline Spinner (Mepps/Blue Fox)

#2–#4 in-line spinner

1–10 ftmoderate

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Walleye · Live bait

Live-Bait (Lindy) Rig + Leech/Crawler

jumbo leech or half a nightcrawler

8–35 ftslow

Shop octopus hooks →

Walleye · Trolling

Leadcore Line + Crankbaits

4–5" mid-diving crankbait behind a long leadcore run

15–45 fttrolling

Shop deep-diving crankbaits →

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	1,300 fingerlings
2021	Walleye	1,300 fingerlings
2019	Walleye	2,275 fingerlings
2017	Walleye	1,433 fingerlings

MN DNR · in their words

From the 2017 survey

East Twin is a 146 acre lake located two miles northwest of Nisswa in Crow Wing County. East Twin reaches a depth of 45', with 61% 15' being deep or less. A public access is located on the west side. Water clarity is excellent with a secchi disk reading of 20'.

An average of 70 lbs of walleye fingerlings are stocked by private citizens into East Twin in odd-numbered years. The walleye gillnet catch of 2.7/net was average when compared to similar lakes. Walleyes ranged in size from 13.2"-22.4", with an average length of 17.4".

Read the full DNR narrative

Northern pike were sampled in average numbers in gillnets at 11.2/net. Most ran on the small side with an average length of 19.4", with only 4% at least 24" in length. New northern pike regulations effective March 1st, 2018 include a possession limit of 10 fish. Only 2 may be over 26" and all fish between 22"-26" must be immediately released. The intent of the regulation is to improve the harvest opportunity for pike and improve the fish community composition.

Largemouth bass were sampled by spring night electrofishing at a rate of 65.5/hr run time indicating a moderate density. Average length was 13.2", with 67% at least 12" in length. Gillnets sampled largemouth bass in average numbers at 1.0/gillnet. Average length was 13.9".

Trapnets sampled bluegills in average numbers at 15.6/net. Some nicer bluegills are available with an average length of 6.3". Bluegills at least 7" in length made up 29% of the catch. Black crappies were sampled in low numbers in both net types, with 40% of the crappies sampled measuring at least 8" in length.

No invasive species have been discovered in East Twin Lake, but they are located in the area. Lake users are required to inspect and remove any aquatic plants and animals from their watercraft and trailers, as well as pull the plug and drain all water from the watercraft, including bilges, livewells and baitwells.

Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.

Recent reports

East Twin Lake fishing reports

Recent reports on East Twin 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

East Twin Lake (trailer launch)

DNR bathymetry

East Twin Lake depth map

East Twin Lake depth contour map, Crow Wing County, Minnesota — Depth contours to 45 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

West Twin Lake · 128 ac · 0.7 mi
Mayo Lake · 164 ac · 1.3 mi
Lower Cullen Lake · 560 ac · 1.4 mi
Edna Lake · 156 ac · 1.7 mi
Fawn Lake · 64 ac · 1.7 mi
Middle Cullen Lake · 405 ac · 1.8 mi
Upper Cullen Lake · 442 ac · 2.3 mi
Sibley Lake · 444 ac · 2.6 mi

Quick answers

Frequently asked questions

How deep is East Twin Lake?

East Twin Lake reaches 45 ft at its deepest point; about 54% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).

How big is East Twin Lake?

East Twin Lake covers 163 acres with about 2.7 miles of shoreline.

How clear is the water in East Twin Lake?

DNR Secchi readings on East Twin Lake average 21 ft of visibility, clear water for a Minnesota lake.

What fish are in East Twin Lake?

Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2017) record walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch.

Is East Twin Lake stocked?

Yes. The DNR stocked walleye in 2025; the stocking table on this page lists every year back to 2017.

Does East Twin Lake have a public access?

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

How big do largemouth bass get in East Twin Lake?

The biggest largemouth bass measured in recent DNR surveys taped 21"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 1996.

When was East Twin Lake last surveyed?

The Minnesota DNR last surveyed East Twin Lake in 2017, the most recent of 6 surveys on record. A survey that old is a starting point, not a current reading.

Page updated September 22, 2026.

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

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