Minnesota · Beltrami County

Irving Lake Fishing guide

Irving Lake covers 662 acres in Beltrami County, Minnesota, reaching 19 ft at its deepest point. Secchi readings average around 2.4 ft of visibility. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 7 times, most recently in 2022, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and muskellunge in the nets.

Open the live map → Survey data

Depth to 19 ft · top 5 summer marks

Surface662 ac

Max depth19 ft

Mean10 ft

Clarity2.4 ft

Littoral83%

Surveyed2022

How to fish Irving Lake through the year

Walleye

Spring: Walleye are shallow, on and just off the spawning flats and the first green weeds. In 2.4 ft of visibility, they sit shallower than you think.
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 83% 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. A 19-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 2.4 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 83% 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 19-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	Walleye	Northern pike	Largemouth bass
2022	25"	40"	18"
2012	23"	29"	19"
2001	26"	37"	19"

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:

Walleye · Live bait

Live-Bait (Lindy) Rig + Leech/Crawler

jumbo leech or half a nightcrawler

8–35 ftslow

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 →

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 →

Largemouth bass · Hardbaits

Hollow-Body Frog

3–3.5" hollow-body frog

0–6 ftslow

Shop hollow-body frogs →

Largemouth bass · Soft plastics

Texas-Rigged Worm

7" ribbon-tail or straight-tail plastic worm

1–25 ftdead slow

Shop plastic worms →

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

Lake Irving is a 661-acre lake, located within the city of Bemidji in southern Beltrami County. A targeted survey was completed on Lake Irving by Bemidji Area Fisheries staff during July of 2022 to assess the nearshore fish community and overall health of the lake.

In this survey, 14 nearshore sites (100-foot) were evenly spaced along the lakeshore to sample a variety of aquatic habitat types and collect a representative sample of the nearshore fish community. Depending on the habitat conditions at each site, backpack electrofishing and shoreline seining were attempted where possible. A total of 11 sites were sampled with a seine, while backpack electrofishing was completed at 13 sites. A total of 28 species were sampled, which included 8 species that are intolerant to disturbance or poor water quality Banded Killifish, Blackchin Shiner, Blacknose Shiner, Burbot, Iowa Darter, Logperch, Mimic Shiner, and Rock Bass.

Read the full DNR narrative

Nearshore fish community data was analyzed with information collected from the standard survey in 2022 to calculate a Fish-based Index of Biotic Integrity (FIBI) score to measure the biological condition and overall health of Lake Irving. In Minnesota, certain fish species cannot survive without clean water and healthy habitat (e.g. Blacknose Shiner, Mimic Shiner, Tullibee (cisco), and Mottled Sculpin), while other species are tolerant of degraded conditions (e.g. Black Bullhead, Fathead Minnow, and Green Sunfish). The combination of fish species present may identify stressors negatively affecting the lake environment. The FIBI score is composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics to indicate the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. For additional information on FIBI search for "lake index of biological integrity" on the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources website (www.mndnr.gov).

Results of this survey indicate Lake Irving is in great health with a FIBI score above the impairment threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes. In coordination with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, data from this survey will contribute biological information about the health of the fish community to the Mississippi River (Headwaters) Watershed assessment.

Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.

Recent reports

Irving Lake fishing reports

Recent reports on Irving 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

Beltrami County reports

Public water access

Getting on the water

Lake Irving (trailer launch)
Irving Lake South (carry-in)

DNR bathymetry

Irving Lake depth map

Irving Lake depth contour map, Beltrami County, Minnesota — Depth contours to 19 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

Marquette Lake · 528 ac · 2.4 mi
Bemidji (main lake) · 6,596 ac · 3.2 mi
Plantagenet Lake · 2,531 ac · 5.4 mi
Newman Lake · 45 ac · 6.1 mi
Grant Lake · 214 ac · 6.1 mi
Big Bass (east basin) Lake · 337 ac · 6.9 mi
Spearhead Lake · 194 ac · 7 mi
Grace Lake · 860 ac · 7.5 mi

Quick answers

Frequently asked questions

How deep is Irving Lake?

Irving Lake reaches 19 ft at its deepest point with a mean depth of 10 ft; about 83% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).

How big is Irving Lake?

Irving Lake covers 662 acres with about 5.2 miles of shoreline.

How clear is the water in Irving Lake?

DNR Secchi readings on Irving Lake average 2.4 ft of visibility, on the stained end for a Minnesota lake.

What fish are in Irving Lake?

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

Is Irving Lake stocked?

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

Does Irving Lake have a public access?

Yes. Irving Lake has 2 public access sites, including Lake Irving (trailer launch).

How big do walleye get in Irving Lake?

The biggest walleye measured in recent DNR surveys taped 25"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 2001.

When was Irving Lake last surveyed?

The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Irving Lake in 2022, the most recent of 7 surveys on record.

Page updated September 22, 2026.

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

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