Minnesota · Becker County

Ida Lake Fishing guide

Ida Lake covers 632 acres in Becker County, Minnesota, reaching 20 ft at its deepest point. Average water clarity runs about 8.6 ft. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 10 times, most recently in 2023, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill in the nets.

Open the live map → Survey data

Depth to 20 ft · top 5 summer marks

Surface632 ac

Max depth20 ft

Clarity8.6 ft

Littoral69%

Surveyed2023

How to fish Ida Lake through the year

Northern pike

Spring: Pike are in the shallow bays and along new weed growth.
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 69% 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.

Walleye

Spring: Walleye are shallow, on and just off the spawning flats and the first green weeds.
Early summer: Walleye are setting up on the outside weed edge, points and shallow structure.
Summer: Walleye are working the weed edge, points and any wind-blown structure. With 69% of this lake 15 ft or shallower, the weed edge is the main event.
Fall: Walleye are packing onto the sharpest breaks and points as the water cools, in big schools with short windows.

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	Walleye	Largemouth bass
2023	30"	27"	17"
2018	33"	28"	19"
2013	36"	27"	17"
2008	38"	27"	15"
2003	35"	27"	12"
1998	34"	27"	13"
1993	36"	25"	16"

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 →

Walleye · Live bait

Slip Bobber + Leech

jumbo or large leech

4–20 ftdead slow

Shop octopus hooks →

Walleye · Soft plastics

Curly-Tail Grub on Jig

3" curly-tail grub threaded on a round jighead

3–25 ftslow

Shop curly-tail grubs →

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

Wacky-Rigged Stickworm

5" stickworm

1–12 ftdead slowweedless

Shop stickworms →

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	280 fingerlings · 4,219 adults
2024	Walleye	898 fingerlings · 3,657 yearlings
2023	Walleye	9,849 fingerlings
2022	Walleye	7,347 fingerlings
2021	Walleye	398 fingerlings · 2,035 adults
2020	Walleye	2,610 yearlings
2019	Walleye	13,925 fingerlings
2018	Walleye	7,860 fingerlings
2017	Walleye	160 fingerlings · 1,256 yearlings · 180 adults

MN DNR · in their words

From the 2023 survey

A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Ida Lake was conducted on September 6th-7th, 2023, by Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake, and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at fourteen sampling stations, but three stations were sampled from the boat due soft sediments. Similarly, a 50-foot seine was used to sample nine stations, and a 15-foot seine was used to sample two stations, and three stations were not seined due to soft sediments. Nearshore sampling captured twenty species of fish including four species that are intolerant of disturbance (Banded Killifish, Iowa Darter, Blackchin Shiner, and Blacknose Shiner) and two that are tolerant of disturbance (i.e., Fathead Minnow and Green Sunfish).

The nearshore data were combined with trap net and gill net data from a June 2023 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 and Common Carp). 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. For additional information on the FIBI, search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the mndnr.gov website.

Read the full DNR narrative

Results from this survey indicate that the fish community in Ida Lake is healthy, as indicated by an FIBI score that scores above the impairment threshold determined for similar lakes. These results are similar to previous findings, which indicated that Ida Lake fully supported aquatic life use based on the FIBI. These survey results will be considered when the biological health of the lake is assessed during the Otter Tail River Watershed assessment process, which will be completed in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.

Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.

Recent reports

Ida Lake fishing reports

Recent reports on Ida 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

Becker County reports

Public water access

Getting on the water

Lake Ida (trailer launch)

DNR bathymetry

Ida Lake depth map

Ida Lake depth contour map, Becker County, Minnesota — Depth contours to 20 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

Middle Cormorant Lake · 373 ac · 2.2 mi
Big Cormorant Lake · 3,657 ac · 3.3 mi
Tamarac Lake · 445 ac · 4.2 mi
Upper Cormorant Lake · 974 ac · 4.4 mi
Pelican Lake · 3,962 ac · 4.6 mi
Turtle Lake · 196 ac · 5.3 mi
Fish Lake · 293 ac · 5.4 mi
Leif Lake · 521 ac · 5.5 mi

Quick answers

Frequently asked questions

How deep is Ida Lake?

Ida Lake reaches 20 ft at its deepest point; about 69% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).

How big is Ida Lake?

Ida Lake covers 632 acres with about 7 miles of shoreline.

How clear is the water in Ida Lake?

DNR Secchi readings on Ida Lake average 8.6 ft of visibility, middling clarity for a Minnesota lake.

What fish are in Ida Lake?

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

Is Ida Lake stocked?

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

Does Ida Lake have a public access?

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

How big do northern pike get in Ida Lake?

The biggest northern pike measured in recent DNR surveys taped 30"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 1993.

When was Ida Lake last surveyed?

The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Ida Lake in 2023, the most recent of 10 surveys on record.

Page updated September 22, 2026.

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

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