Minnesota · Douglas County

Lake Moses Fishing guide

Lake Moses is a 824-acre lake in Douglas County, Minnesota, reaching 32 ft at its deepest point. Average water clarity runs about 15.6 ft. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 14 times, most recently in 2024, with walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and northern pike in the nets.

Open the live map → Survey data

Depth to 32 ft · top 5 summer marks

Surface824 ac

Max depth32 ft

Mean16 ft

Clarity15.6 ft

Littoral48%

Surveyed2024

How to fish Lake Moses through the year

Largemouth bass

Spring: Largemouth are moving up into the warming bays and flats, staging around wood, docks and new weeds to spawn. At 15.6 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.

Northern pike

Spring: Pike are in the shallow bays and along new weed growth. At 15.6 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.
Fall: Pike are on the last green weeds and the breaks beside them, feeding heavily as the water drops.

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	Largemouth bass	Northern pike	Walleye
2022	18"	36"	23"
2016	15"	33"	27"
2010	19"	34"	27"
2006	18"	33"	27"
2002	18"	34"	26"
1998	18"	33"	27"
1994	16"	26"	25"

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:

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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Northern pike · Soft plastics

Paddletail Swimbait on Jighead

4–5" paddletail swimbait on a ball-head swimbait jighead

3–25 ftmoderate

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Northern pike · Jigs & bladed

Inline Spinner (Mepps/Blue Fox)

#2–#4 in-line spinner

1–10 ftmoderate

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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

Shop deep-diving crankbaits →

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	393,000 fry · 3,405 yearlings
2024	Walleye	3,000 fingerlings · 3,000 yearlings
2023	Walleye	393,000 fry · 4,500 yearlings
2022	Walleye	5,205 fingerlings
2021	Walleye	393,000 fry · 3,360 yearlings
2019	Walleye	6,103 fingerlings
2018	Walleye	750 yearlings
2017	Walleye	5,160 fingerlings · 2,104 yearlings · 166 adults

MN DNR · in their words

From the 2024 survey

A targeted survey was completed in the spring of 2024 on Lake Moses to assess the Bluegill and Black Crappie populations. Bluegill catch rates were moderate, and many quality fish were observed during the survey. Twenty seven percent of the Bluegill were over 8 inches in length and the largest Bluegill observed was 10 inches. Growth rates of Bluegill in Lake Moses are near average and it takes around 8 years to grow to 8 inches in length. Black Crappie catch rates were also moderate. Approximately 35% of the crappie were greater than 10 inches in length and the largest crappie observed was 12.3 inches. Growth rates were slow and on average it takes crappie in Lake Moses 5 years to get to 10 inches and over 10 years to get to 12 inches in length. Very old individuals of both species were sampled during the survey, with Bluegill extending to age 13 and Black Crappie extending to age 14.

Quality fishing opportunities exist for multiple species in Lake Moses, though growth rates are slow to average and many old fish exist in the population. Anglers are encouraged to practice selective harvest to help sustain the quality of the fishery. Selective harvest encourages the release of larger fish while promoting harvest of more abundant smaller fish. Releasing medium to large fish can help restore and maintain fish community balance, as well as increase opportunities to catch large fish in the future.

Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.

Recent reports

Lake Moses fishing reports

Recent reports on Lake Moses 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

Douglas County reports

Public water access

Getting on the water

Moses Lake (trailer launch)

DNR bathymetry

Lake Moses depth map

Lake Moses depth contour map, Douglas County, Minnesota — Depth contours to 32 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

Lake Aaron · 610 ac · 1.1 mi
Little Chippewa Lake · 271 ac · 4.3 mi
Stowe Lake · 377 ac · 4.9 mi
Devils Lake · 234 ac · 5 mi
Chippewa Lake · 1,186 ac · 5.2 mi
Lake Ina · 218 ac · 6.1 mi
Whiskey Lake · 160 ac · 6.2 mi
Indian Lake · 99 ac · 6.4 mi

Quick answers

Frequently asked questions

How deep is Lake Moses?

Lake Moses reaches 32 ft at its deepest point with a mean depth of 16 ft; about 48% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).

How big is Lake Moses?

Lake Moses covers 824 acres with about 4.5 miles of shoreline.

How clear is the water in Lake Moses?

DNR Secchi readings on Lake Moses average 15.6 ft of visibility, clear water for a Minnesota lake.

What fish are in Lake Moses?

Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2024) record walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, rock bass.

Is Lake Moses stocked?

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

Does Lake Moses have a public access?

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

How big do largemouth bass get in Lake Moses?

The biggest largemouth bass measured in recent DNR surveys taped 18"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 1994.

When was Lake Moses last surveyed?

The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Lake Moses in 2024, the most recent of 14 surveys on record.

Page updated September 22, 2026.

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

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