Minnesota · Becker County

Island Lake Fishing guide

Island Lake sits in Becker County, Minnesota, and covers 1,180 acres, reaching 38 ft at its deepest point. Average water clarity runs about 10.6 ft. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 15 times, most recently in 2023, with walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and northern pike in the nets.

Open the live map → Survey data

Depth to 38 ft · top 5 summer marks

Surface1,180 ac

Max depth38 ft

Clarity10.6 ft

Littoral39%

Surveyed2023

How to fish Island Lake through the year

Walleye

Spring: Walleye are shallow, on and just off the spawning flats and the first green weeds. At 10.6 ft of clarity, fish them deeper and lighter than usual.
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.
Fall: Walleye are packing onto the sharpest breaks and points as the water cools, in big schools with short windows.

Largemouth bass

Spring: Largemouth are moving up into the warming bays and flats, staging around wood, docks and new weeds to spawn. At 10.6 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.
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	Walleye	Largemouth bass	Smallmouth bass
2023	27"	15"	18"
2020	26"	—	19"
2017	24"	6"	19"
2012	23"	20"	16"
2007	27"	7"	17"
2002	27"	11"	17"
1997	27"	—	17"

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

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Walleye · Trolling

Leadcore Line + Crankbaits

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

15–45 fttrolling

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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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Smallmouth bass · Soft plastics

Drop Shot (Finesse Plastic)

4" finesse worm or 3" minnow-profile plastic

8–40 ftdead slowweedless

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Smallmouth bass · Jigs & bladed

Tail Spinner

Compact lead body with a free-spinning blade on the tail

10–35 ftmoderate

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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 2023 survey

Island is a 1,142-acre, class 25 lake located in central Becker County approximately 5.5 miles northwest of Snellman. The lake offers a quality multi-species fishery for Black Crappie, Bluegill, and Smallmouth Bass. Water quality and fish habitat in Island Lake are also well suited for Walleyes, with natural reproduction sustaining this species. No Walleye stocking has been done since 1985 and Island Lake is one of only three lakes in the Detroit Lakes Management Area to have a Walleye population entirely sustained by natural reproduction. A reduced daily limit regulation of 10 Bluegill was implemented in March 2022.

The gill net catch rate for Walleye in 2023 was 17 fish per net. This is just above the lake's long-term average of 16 fish per net. The average length of Walleyes sampled in 2023 was 16 inches and lengths ranged from eight to 27 inches. The age frequency of sampled Walleye was mostly comprised of young fish, with several good year classes shaping up to provide quality fishing in the future.

Read the full DNR narrative

Gill net catches of Northern Pike have historically been quite stable. The catch rate in 2023 was four fish per net, which was the highest on record, and well above the historical average. Pike tend to be on the smaller side in Island Lake, and lengths of pike ranged from 17 to 27 inches with an average length of 20 inches in 2023.

Trap nets captured only nine Bluegill per net in 2023. This catch rate was well below the lake's average catch of 31 fish per net. Bluegill in trap nets averaged five inches in length and ranged from 3 to 10 inches. Gill nets also captured a fair number of Bluegill, despite not being a standard method for catching Bluegill. Their average size was bigger than trap nets at 8 ½ inches. The primary goal of the Bluegill special regulation that was implemented in March 2022 is to maintain the quality Bluegill population in Island Lake.

Other sunfish species observed during the survey in 2023 included Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, and Black Crappie. Historically, the numbers of Largemouth Bass and Black Crappie captured during fish surveys in Island Lake have been quite low, and 2023 was no exception. The size of fish that were observed was 14 to 16 inches for Largemouth Bass and 5 to 13 inches for Black Crappie. Smallmouth Bass numbers observed in gill nets reached a new record at seven smallmouth per net. This is also well above the historical average of two fish per net. The mean length of Smallmouth Bass was 13 inches and lengths ranged from five to 18 inches.

The Yellow Perch gill net catch rate declined yet again to just over two fish per net in 2023, the second lowest rate recorded. The lake's historical average is almost 19 fish per set. Lengths of sampled perch ranged from five to 13 inches and averaged seven inches. Other fish species observed during the survey included Brown Bullhead, hybrid sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Rock Bass, White Sucker, and Yellow Bullhead.

Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.

Recent reports

Island Lake fishing reports

Recent reports on Island 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

Island Lake (trailer launch)

DNR bathymetry

Island Lake depth map

Island Lake depth contour map, Becker County, Minnesota — Depth contours to 38 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

Shell Lake · 3,147 ac · 3.6 mi
Sieverson Lake · 82 ac · 3.7 mi
Height of Land Lake · 3,795 ac · 4.4 mi
Toad Lake · 1,715 ac · 5.2 mi
Ice Cracking Lake · 345 ac · 5.3 mi
Bass Lake · 130 ac · 5.6 mi
North Tamarack Lake · 1,442 ac · 6.8 mi
Little Toad Lake · 406 ac · 7 mi

Quick answers

Frequently asked questions

How deep is Island Lake?

Island Lake reaches 38 ft at its deepest point; about 39% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).

How big is Island Lake?

Island Lake covers 1,180 acres with about 14.2 miles of shoreline.

How clear is the water in Island Lake?

DNR Secchi readings on Island Lake average 10.6 ft of visibility, clear water for a Minnesota lake.

What fish are in Island Lake?

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

Is Island Lake stocked?

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

Does Island Lake have a public access?

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

How big do walleye get in Island Lake?

The biggest walleye measured in recent DNR surveys taped 27"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 1997.

When was Island Lake last surveyed?

The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Island Lake in 2023, the most recent of 15 surveys on record.

Page updated September 22, 2026.

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

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