Minnesota · Crow Wing County
Lougee Lake Fishing guide
Lougee Lake covers 212 acres in Crow Wing County, Minnesota, reaching 53 ft at its deepest point. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 2 times, most recently in 1997, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill in the nets. That survey is 29 years old now.
DNR survey data
Fish species
The DNR last surveyed Lougee Lake in 1997. Ratings need a survey from the last 20 years, so this page lists the species from that older record without numbers.
- Walleye
- Largemouth bass
- Northern pike
- Bluegill
- Crappie
- Yellow perch
- Rock bass
How to fish Lougee 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 53 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.
Largemouth bass
- Spring
- Largemouth are moving up into the warming bays and flats, staging around wood, docks and new weeds to spawn.
- 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 53 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.
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
Walleye · Trolling
Leadcore Line + Crankbaits
4–5" mid-diving crankbait behind a long leadcore run
Largemouth bass · Soft plastics
Texas-Rigged Worm
7" ribbon-tail or straight-tail plastic worm
Largemouth bass · Soft plastics
Free Rig
Creature bait or magnum finesse worm
Northern pike · Soft plastics
Paddletail Swimbait on Jighead
4–5" paddletail swimbait on a ball-head swimbait jighead
Northern pike · Muskie & pike
Soft Rubber (Bull Dawg / Medusa)
10" soft rubber body bait
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 1997 survey
Lougee is a 217 acre lake located about five miles north of Merrifield, in Crow Wing County. Maximum depth is 53 feet and about 72% of the surface area is less than fifteen feet deep. In 1997 there were 59 homes/cabins located along the 2.2 miles of shoreline. Public accesses are present on the south and northwest shorelines. Bottom soils in water less than four feet deep were primarily sand, with small amounts of muck and rubble sized rock (3-10") also present. The lake has moderately hard water and low phosphourus fertility. Water clarity was somewhat above average for area lakes in 1997. A fairly diverse aquatic plant community was present in '97. Emergent species help control the lake's nutrients and help protect shorelines from erosion caused by wave action. Species like bulrush also enhance the quality of spawning habitat for several fish species. Submergent and floating leafed species provide important cover and food sources for a wide variety of aquatic species.A lake survey was conducted during the summer of 1997. A fairly diverse fish population was present. Compared to similar type lakes, the catch rate for yellow bullhead was categorized as "high." Catch rates for walleye and brown bullhead were in the "low" category. Catches of northern pike, yellow perch, largemouth bass, black crappie, bluegill, pumpkinseed and rock bass were all considered to be "average."The northern pike catch was "average" and was similar to catches from the previous three nettings (1979, '84, '87). Pike from 16-31 inches were caught and averaged 21 inches and 2.2 lbs. in size. Three strong year classes were present and growth was good.Only one walleye was sampled in '97. The '87 netting produced a catch rate of 1.5/GN after several years of experimentally stocking a variety of sizes for a number of years. At that time, several age classes were present, each in relatively low numbers.Largemouth bass were present in "average" numbers. A variety of age classes were present, including young fish.Bluegills were found in "average" numbers for the first time since the 1960 netting. Catches were extremely high in the 1979-1987 nettings. In '97, about 23% of the bluegills sampled were at least 7.0 inches long. Bluegills had slow growth. The black crappie catch was "average" and similar to the two previous catches. The strongest year class was from 1994 and growth bordered on slow.Yellow perch, an important forage species, was found in "average" numbers in 1997. Supplemental perch stocking was done in 1982 and '83. These stockings have not had a lasting beneficial effect, since perch catches in the three nettings since stocking were all lower than the perch catch in 1979. In 1997, several perch year classes, including young fish, were present in the catch and average length was over 8 inches. White sucker, another forage species, was not sampled in '97 but was generally caught in "low" numbers in previous nettings.Yellow bullheads were first caught in the 1984 netting. Their numbers increased and abundance was in the "high" category in '97. However, small bullheads were absent from the catch, possibly indicating lower numbers in the near future.
Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.
Recent reports
Lougee Lake fishing reports
Recent reports on Lougee 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.
Public water access
Getting on the water
- Lougee Lake (trailer launch)
DNR bathymetry
Lougee Lake depth map
Within 30 miles
Nearby lakes
- Bonnie Lake · 76 ac · 1.2 mi
- Bass Lake · 285 ac · 2.2 mi
- Lower Mission Lake · 732 ac · 2.5 mi
- Edward Lake · 2,628 ac · 2.7 mi
- Silver Lake · 208 ac · 2.7 mi
- Horseshoe Lake · 922 ac · 3.2 mi
- Little Pelican Lake · 271 ac · 3.2 mi
- Pelican Lake · 8,367 ac · 3.3 mi
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How deep is Lougee Lake?
Lougee Lake reaches 53 ft at its deepest point; about 74% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).
How big is Lougee Lake?
Lougee Lake covers 212 acres with about 2.2 miles of shoreline.
What fish are in Lougee Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 1997) record walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, rock bass.
Is Lougee Lake stocked?
No stocking is on record for Lougee Lake in the DNR's stocking database.
Does Lougee Lake have a public access?
Yes. Lougee Lake has one public access site: Lougee Lake (trailer launch).
When was Lougee Lake last surveyed?
The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Lougee Lake in 1997, the most recent of 2 surveys on record. That is more than 20 years ago, so this page lists species without ratings.
Page updated .
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