Minnesota · St. Louis County

Kabetogama Lake Fishing guide

Kabetogama Lake sits in St. Louis County, Minnesota, and covers 24,034 acres, reaching 80 ft at its deepest point. Average water clarity runs about 8.8 ft. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 32 times, most recently in 2025, with walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and northern pike in the nets.

Open the live map → Survey data

Depth to 80 ft · top 5 summer marks

Surface24,034 ac

Max depth80 ft

Mean29.9 ft

Clarity8.8 ft

Littoral31%

Surveyed2025

How to fish Kabetogama Lake through the year

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. On a lake that drops to 80 ft, check the deep edge of that structure too.
Fall: Walleye are packing onto the sharpest breaks and points as the water cools, in big schools with short windows.

Smallmouth bass

Spring: Smallmouth are on shallow rock, gravel and sand where they spawn.
Early summer: Smallmouth are post-spawn on rock points, gravel bars and the adjacent breaks.
Summer: Smallmouth are on rock humps, points and hard-bottom breaks. On a lake that drops to 80 ft, check the deep edge of that structure too.
Fall: Smallmouth are bunched tight on deep rock, so find one and you have found the school.

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	Smallmouth bass	Largemouth bass
2025	24"	18"	—
2024	27"	17"	2"
2023	25"	17"	—
2022	25"	17"	—
2021	25"	19"	—
2020	26"	14"	—
2019	27"	18"	—
2018	24"	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 · Trolling

Leadcore Line + Crankbaits

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

15–45 fttrolling

Shop deep-diving crankbaits →

Smallmouth bass · Soft plastics

Ned Rig

2.75" finesse stickbait or craw-style Ned bait

5–25 ftdead slowweedless

Shop ned rig plastics →

Smallmouth bass · Soft plastics

Drop Shot (Finesse Plastic)

4" finesse worm or 3" minnow-profile plastic

8–40 ftdead slowweedless

Shop finesse plastics →

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.

MN DNR · in their words

From the 2025 survey

Lake Kabetogama is part of the statewide Large Lake Program, an intensive fisheries management program on the 10 largest Walleye lakes in Minnesota. The Large Lake Program includes annual fish population assessments, annual water quality monitoring, and regularly scheduled creel surveys. A variety of sampling gear is used during population assessments to collect the various fish species and life stages. These gear types include gill nets, beach seines, and an electrofishing boat on Lake Kabetogama. Sampling for each gear type is conducted at the same time and place each year to determine population trends for the major species. Data is also collected on length, weight, age, and growth for each of the major species.

The Walleye gill net catch rate in 2025 was 8.7 fish per net, which is similar to the long-term average for Lake Kabetogama. Walleye catch rates have generally been greater than average for Lake Kabetogama since 2015 due to good recruitment. Walleye gill net catches were at a historical low of 5.5 fish per gill net in 2014. The catch of Walleyes in our sampling increased in the following four surveys due to good year-classes of Walleyes from the 2015 and 2016 cohorts. These back-to-back year-classes mark the first time Kabetogama has produced two consecutive above average year-classes since the late 1980s. However, most of the fish from these year-classes have now grown into the protected slot range with the 2015 year-class averaging 20.2 inches long and the 2016 year-class averaging 19.8 inches long in 2025. The largest contributor to the 2025 Walleye gill net catch were age-1 fish from the 2024 year-class, composing 25.9 percent of the total number caught. Most of the Walleyes caught from the 2024 year-class were in the seven and eight-inch length groups and have the potential to be the next strong year-class. The 2020 year-class contributed an additional 14.4 percent of the 2025 catch and is a very strong year-class. Age-5 Walleyes from the 2020 year-class ranged from 14.4 to 18.8 inches and averaged 16.6 inches long in fall 2025. Overall, gill netted Walleyes ranged in length from 6.9 to 24.8 inches long and had an average length of 15.1 inches. There is an experimental regulation for Walleye on Lake Kabetogama; an 18-26 inch protected slot, with one fish allowed over 26 inches, and a four-fish bag limit. The goal of the regulation is to keep harvest at a safe level and maintain adequate spawning stock.

Read the full DNR narrative

Lake Kabetogama is home to a fishable Sauger population. The 2025 catch rate of 3.2 per gill net was slightly below average but similar to recent surveys. Consistent recruitment has resulted in relatively stable Sauger numbers in recent years. Kabetogama has been producing strong year-classes every two to three years. The most recent strong year-classes produced were in 2017 and 2020. Age-5 Sauger dominated the 2025 catch totaling 60.3 percent of the total catch, followed by age-1 Sauger representing 11.1 percent of the catch. The 2020 year-class (age-5) ranged in length from 10.4 to 14.3 inches. Overall, 2025 gill netted Sauger ranged length from 7.9 to 16.5 inches and averaged 12.1 inches.

Gill net catches of Northern Pike have historically been variable at a low level but appear to be increasing slightly over the past 15 years. The 2025 gill net catch of Northern Pike was greater than the historic average but lower than recent years. Northern Pike grow relatively fast and reach large and even trophy sizes. Pike ranged from 15.8 to 40.5 inches in 2025 gill nets. The average length was 23.7 inches. Large Northern Pike over 40 inches are frequently caught in gill net surveys and reported by anglers. Overall, good opportunities for large pike exist for those willing to work for them.

Yellow Perch numbers have increased in recent years in Lake Kabetogama. The 2025 gill net catch rate was less than recent years but still above average with a catch rate of 8.8 per gill net. The 2020 year-classes appears to be one of the strongest ever produced on Kabetogama. The 2020 year-class composed 18.7 percent of the 2025 gill net catch and ranged in size from 9.4 to 11.2 inches long, but most individuals were in the nine and 10-inch length groups. Age-1 Yellow Perch from the 2024 year-class composed the largest component of the Yellow Perch catch in 2025 at 24.8 percent of the total. Overall, Perch ranged from 4.8 to 11.8 inches long and averaged 8.2 inches in 2025. Yellow Perch size structure has improved over time providing more opportunity for anglers to harvest quality-sized fish. Twenty-seven percent of the 2025 Yellow Perch were 10 inches or greater in length.

Lake Kabetogama is home to a good Smallmouth Bass fishery both in numbers and size structure. Bass numbers have increased in our sampling gear as well as in angler catches in recent years. Smallmouth Bass over 19 inches long are regularly caught during surveys.

Lake Kabetogama is infested with spiny waterfleas and zebra mussels. Anglers and boaters should always take preventative measures to avoid moving invasive species to other lakes. For more information on invasive species and other DNR programs, go to the DNR website at mndnr.gov.

Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.

Recent reports

Kabetogama Lake fishing reports

Recent reports on Kabetogama 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

All Kabetogama Lake fishing reports → · St. Louis County reports

Public water access

Getting on the water

Kabetogama Lake (E) Ash River Visitor Center (trailer launch)
Kabetogama Lake (N) (trailer launch)
Kabetogama Lake (NE), Wooden Frog (trailer launch)
Kabetogama Lake (SW) Kabetogama Visitor Center (trailer launch)

DNR bathymetry

Kabetogama Lake depth map

Kabetogama Lake depth contour map, St. Louis County, Minnesota — Depth contours to 80 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

Quill Lake · 85 ac · 4.6 mi
Loiten Lake · 94 ac · 4.6 mi
War Club Lake · 80 ac · 4.7 mi
Boot Lake · 51 ac · 4.8 mi
Shoepack Lake · 299 ac · 5 mi
Locator Lake · 133 ac · 5.1 mi
Jorgens Lake · 73 ac · 6.1 mi
Ek Lake · 93 ac · 6.4 mi

Quick answers

Frequently asked questions

How deep is Kabetogama Lake?

Kabetogama Lake reaches 80 ft at its deepest point with a mean depth of 29.9 ft; about 31% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).

How big is Kabetogama Lake?

Kabetogama Lake covers 24,034 acres with about 190.5 miles of shoreline.

How clear is the water in Kabetogama Lake?

DNR Secchi readings on Kabetogama Lake average 8.8 ft of visibility, middling clarity for a Minnesota lake.

What fish are in Kabetogama Lake?

Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2025) record walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, lake sturgeon, rock bass, sauger.

Is Kabetogama Lake stocked?

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

Does Kabetogama Lake have a public access?

Yes. Kabetogama Lake has 4 public access sites, including Kabetogama Lake (E) Ash River Visitor Center (trailer launch).

How big do walleye get in Kabetogama 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 2018.

When was Kabetogama Lake last surveyed?

The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Kabetogama Lake in 2025, the most recent of 32 surveys on record.

Page updated September 22, 2026.

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

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