Minnesota · Aitkin County
Fleming Lake Fishing guide
Fleming Lake sits in Aitkin County, Minnesota, and covers 319 acres, reaching 15 ft at its deepest point. Secchi readings average around 2.8 ft of visibility. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 8 times, most recently in 2017, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill in the nets. That survey is 9 years old now.
DNR survey data
Fish species
No recent survey rating.
Largemouth bassJust a few19.8per hr (electrofishing)14"Typical18"Biggest
Lengths measured · 33 fish
Recent · 2017Lengths measured · 33 fish
2017Lengths measured · 8 fish
2008Only 8 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Lengths measured · 1 fish
2003Only 1 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Lengths measured · 6 fish
1998Only 6 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Northern pikeJust a few1.5per gill net27"Typical36"Biggest
Lengths measured · 14 fish
Recent · 2017Lengths measured · 14 fish
2017Lengths measured · 40 fish
2008Lengths measured · 29 fish
2003Lengths measured · 33 fish
1998BluegillJust a few20.6per trap net7"Typical8"Biggest
Lengths measured · 239 fish
Recent · 2017Lengths measured · 239 fish
2017Lengths measured · 373 fish
2008Lengths measured · 142 fish
2003Lengths measured · 75 fish
1998CrappieFair numbers12.2per trap net8"Typical10"Biggest
Lengths measured · 416 fish
Recent · 2017Lengths measured · 416 fish
2017Lengths measured · 595 fish
2008Lengths measured · 441 fish
2003Lengths measured · 758 fish
1998Yellow perchElite fishery100.7per gill net7"Typical11"Biggest
Lengths measured · 608 fish
Recent · 2017Lengths measured · 608 fish
2017Lengths measured · 335 fish
2008Lengths measured · 386 fish
2003Lengths measured · 141 fish
1998Rates 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 Fleming 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. In 2.8 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 99% 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 15-ft bowl cools fast, so the fall window comes early here.
Northern pike
- Spring
- Pike are in the shallow bays and along new weed growth. In 2.8 ft of visibility, they sit shallower than you think.
- 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. With 99% of this lake 15 ft or shallower, the weed edge is the main event.
- Fall
- Pike are on the last green weeds and the breaks beside them, feeding heavily as the water drops. A 15-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 | Largemouth bass | Northern pike | Yellow perch |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 18" | 36" | 11" |
| 2008 | 17" | 34" | 8" |
| 2003 | 16" | 36" | 8" |
| 1998 | 14" | 30" | 7" |
| 1993 | 15" | 37" | 8" |
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
Largemouth bass · Jigs & bladed
Skirted Casting Jig + Craw Trailer
3.5–4" craw-style trailer on a skirted casting/flipping jig
Northern pike · Soft plastics
Paddletail Swimbait on Jighead
4–5" paddletail swimbait on a ball-head swimbait jighead
Northern pike · Jigs & bladed
Spinnerbait
3/8–1/2 oz safety-pin spinnerbait with tandem willow-leaf blades
Yellow perch · Soft plastics
Curly-Tail Grub on Jig
3" curly-tail grub threaded on a round jighead
Yellow perch · Soft plastics
Tungsten Jig + Micro Plastic
1–1.5" micro 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 2017 survey
Fleming Lake is a shallow, very fertile lake located in central Aitkin County, five and one-half miles south of Palisade. Fleming Lake has a history of occasional partial winterkills, although there are no recent reports of such an event. The lake is a popular destination for many anglers in search of northern pike, bluegill and black crappie. The primary management species for Fleming Lake are northern pike, black crappie and bluegill. Yellow perch are considered a secondary management species and offer a great forage base for the lake's healthy northern pike population. Largemouth bass are also present in the lake and spring electrofishing was conducted for the first time in 2017, to gauge their abundance. A variety of fisheries management surveys have taken place on the lake dating back to 1950. Currently the lake is not stocked and is surveyed on a ten year rotation.
At 1.5/gill net lift northern pike were not overly abundant in this survey and showed a decrease from 2008, but they do have plenty of yellow perch as forage and have maintained a nice size structure. The average size for pike was 26.7 inches and individuals up to 32 inches were sampled.
Read the full DNR narrative
Bluegill abundance has decreased from the previous survey, but were still within the normal range for this lake type at 20.6/trap net. The size structure of bluegill was favorable with a mean length of 6.5 inches and fish close to 9 inches being sampled.
Yellow perch are well above average in abundance for this class of lake. Maintaining a good yellow perch population is important for the health of this fishery. Yellow perch provide an excellent forage base for the northern pike and are likely a big reason for the favorable northern pike size structure. Healthy perch populations are also known to positively affect other species such as bluegill, which also have respectable size structure in Fleming Lake. It's thought that yellow perch play a role in the dynamics of bluegill sunfish by reducing the densities of young of year bluegills so they do not become stunted.
Fleming Lake is a "numbers" lake when it comes to black crappie and based on our records, they have never been large sized. The largest sampled this year was 9.6 inches in gill nets, but acceptable size fish, over 8 inches, are quite abundant. In the trap nets there were 6 measured larger than 10 inches with the largest being 10.3 inches. This species does well in shallow, fertile lakes.
With the advent of curly-leaf pond weed in Fleming Lake, there may be changes to the water quality and fish community in the not-so-distant future. It is exceedingly important that lake users and shoreland owners use good practices to prevent the spread to other waters and to prevent other invasive species from becoming established in Fleming Lake.
Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.
Recent reports
Fleming Lake fishing reports
Recent reports on Fleming 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
- Fleming Lake (trailer launch)
DNR bathymetry
Fleming Lake depth map
Within 30 miles
Nearby lakes
- Wilkins Lake · 349 ac · 0.7 mi
- Gun Lake · 712 ac · 1.8 mi
- French Lake · 149 ac · 2.3 mi
- Turner Lake · 63 ac · 4.6 mi
- Portage Lake · 372 ac · 4.7 mi
- Rock Lake · 342 ac · 5.3 mi
- Round Lake · 185 ac · 5.8 mi
- Bass Lake · 57 ac · 6.1 mi
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How deep is Fleming Lake?
Fleming Lake reaches 15 ft at its deepest point with a mean depth of 6 ft; about 99% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).
How big is Fleming Lake?
Fleming Lake covers 319 acres with about 3.6 miles of shoreline.
How clear is the water in Fleming Lake?
DNR Secchi readings on Fleming Lake average 2.8 ft of visibility, on the stained end for a Minnesota lake.
What fish are in Fleming Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2017) record walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch.
Is Fleming Lake stocked?
No stocking is on record for Fleming Lake in the DNR's stocking database.
Does Fleming Lake have a public access?
Yes. Fleming Lake has one public access site: Fleming Lake (trailer launch).
How big do largemouth bass get in Fleming Lake?
The biggest largemouth bass measured in recent DNR surveys taped 18"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 1993.
When was Fleming Lake last surveyed?
The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Fleming Lake in 2017, the most recent of 8 surveys on record. A survey that old is a starting point, not a current reading.
Page updated .
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