Minnesota · Wright County

Ida Lake Fishing guide

Ida Lake sits in Wright County, Minnesota, and covers 226 acres, reaching 60 ft at its deepest point. Secchi readings average around 12.5 ft of visibility. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 6 times, most recently in 2022, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill in the nets.

Open the live map → Survey data

Depth to 60 ft · top 5 summer marks

Surface226 ac

Max depth60 ft

Mean19 ft

Clarity12.5 ft

Littoral48%

Surveyed2022

How to fish Ida Lake through the year

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 60 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.

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 60 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.

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	Largemouth bass	Bluegill
2022	32"	19"	8"
2012	37"	17"	8"
2002	38"	17"	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:

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 · Jigs & bladed

Inline Spinner (Mepps/Blue Fox)

#2–#4 in-line spinner

1–10 ftmoderate

Shop inline spinners →

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

Free Rig

Creature bait or magnum finesse worm

8–30 ftdead slowweedless

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Bluegill · Live bait

Clip-On Bobber + Worm

half to whole garden nightcrawler

1–8 ftdead slow

Shop light-wire hooks →

Bluegill · Soft plastics

Tungsten Jig + Micro Plastic

1–1.5" micro plastic

2–15 ftdead slow

Shop micro plastics →

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 2022 survey

Ida Lake is located in northern Wright County, about four miles west of Monticello. The lake has a surface area of 231 acres and a maximum depth of 60 feet. Ida Lake is one of the clearer lakes in the area and is popular for angling and other types of recreation. A public access located on the southeast shore has a boat ramp and parking for several vehicles.

A survey was conducted in 2022 to assess fish populations and included spring electrofishing and summer netting (trap nets and gill nets). The survey also included water chemistry analysis, and watershed mapping. For the most part, few changes in the abundance and size of fish species present were observed since the last survey in 2012.

Read the full DNR narrative

Ida Lake is well suited for bass and panfish, due to its clear water and abundant/diverse aquatic plant community. Bluegill numbers and average size were within the expected range for similar lakes. Most Bluegills were six to seven inches long with a few over eight inches. Pumpkinseed, Green, and Hybrid Sunfish were also sampled, but in lower numbers. Largemouth Bass were sampled in the spring by electrofishing, and the catch rate was higher than average for the area. The average size was 12 inches, with some as large as 19 inches. Only a few Black Crappie were sampled during the survey, but some anglers have reported good success during spring.

Northern Pike thrive in Ida Lake. There is ample area for spawning along the marshy shorelines and the clear water favors species that rely on sight for finding prey. A high number of Northern Pike were sampled in 2022, but average size was low (1.7 pounds). Ida Lake does hold a few larger individuals; a 33-inch Northern Pike was caught during the survey. Yellow Perch numbers appeared very low due to the high Northern Pike population, and this probably limits the growth rate of Northern Pike.

Ida Lake has excellent water quality, due largely to its small watershed (the surrounding land which drains into the lake). Because the lake is highly developed, lakeshore owners play an important role in maintaining the high quality of the lake environment. The DNR website contains information on protecting lakeshores and watersheds. Anglers and other recreational users are encouraged to remain diligent in thoroughly inspecting boat trailers, anchors, and equipment to prevent and reduce the spread of invasive species to area lakes.

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

Wright County reports

Public water access

Getting on the water

Ida Lake (trailer launch)

DNR bathymetry

Ida Lake depth map

Ida Lake depth contour map, Wright County, Minnesota — Depth contours to 60 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

Birch Lake · 100 ac · 1.2 mi
Eagle Lake · 191 ac · 1.6 mi
Bertram Lake · 111 ac · 2.7 mi
Long Lake · 96 ac · 3 mi
Cedar Lake · 206 ac · 3.2 mi
Mud Lake · 33 ac · 3.2 mi
First Lake · 17 ac · 3.3 mi
Black Lake · 98 ac · 3.6 mi

Quick answers

Frequently asked questions

How deep is Ida Lake?

Ida Lake reaches 60 ft at its deepest point with a mean depth of 19 ft; about 48% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).

How big is Ida Lake?

Ida Lake covers 226 acres with about 2.8 miles of shoreline.

How clear is the water in Ida Lake?

DNR Secchi readings on Ida Lake average 12.5 ft of visibility, clear water for a Minnesota lake.

What fish are in Ida Lake?

Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2022) record walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch.

Is Ida Lake stocked?

No stocking is on record for Ida Lake in the DNR's stocking database.

Does Ida Lake have a public access?

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

How big do northern pike get in Ida Lake?

The biggest northern pike measured in recent DNR surveys taped 32"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 2002.

When was Ida Lake last surveyed?

The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Ida Lake in 2022, the most recent of 6 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