Minnesota · Mahnomen County
McCraney Lake Fishing guide
McCraney Lake sits in Mahnomen County, Minnesota, and covers 270 acres, reaching 43 ft at its deepest point. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 6 times, most recently in 2003, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill in the nets. That survey is 23 years old now.
DNR survey data
Fish species
The DNR last surveyed McCraney Lake in 2003. 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 McCraney 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 43 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 43 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.
Size history
Biggest fish by survey year
| Survey year | Walleye | Largemouth bass | Northern pike |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 22" | 14" | 28" |
| 1995 | 25" | 19" | 32" |
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
Walleye · Trolling
Leadcore Line + Crankbaits
4–5" mid-diving crankbait behind a long leadcore run
Largemouth bass · Hardbaits
Topwater Popper
2.5–3" concave-face popper
Largemouth bass · Hardbaits
Hollow-Body Frog
3–3.5" hollow-body frog
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.
DNR stocking records
Stocking history
| Year | Species | Stocked |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Walleye | 168 fingerlings |
| 2023 | Walleye | 1,900 fingerlings |
| 2022 | Walleye | 1,100 fingerlings |
| 2021 | Walleye | 500 fingerlings |
| 2019 | Walleye | 552 fingerlings |
| 2018 | Walleye | 2,648 fingerlings |
| 2017 | Walleye | 125 fingerlings |
MN DNR · in their words
From the 2003 survey
McCraney Lake has a diverse fish community that is typical of other ecologically similar lakes in Minnesota. Northern pike are abundant, but small. They average about a pound and a half and 19.4 inches in length with very few over 24 inches. Growth rates remain good and it is likely that anglers are harvesting most pike by the time they reach about two or three pounds. Pike over thirty inches have been found during about half of the past studies, but none were sampled in 2003.Good walleye spawning habitat is lacking in this lake and the walleye population is sustained by stocking. Sampled walleyes averaged just under 15 inches and weighed about a pound and a quarter.Yellow perch catches decreased dramatically since 1995. Since perch are the primary forage of not only northern pike and walleye, but also largemouth bass in many Minnesota lakes, it is hoped that their decline will not hurt growth rates of the larger predator fish. This will be monitored in future surveys.Bluegill, black crappie, largemouth bass, and tullibee (cisco) can also be found in McCraney Lake. Sampled bluegills were generally young (two years) and small (5.4 inches average length). Bluegills exhibit good growth rates in McCraney and have the potential to grow larger than nine inches if not harvested before reaching that length.
Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.
Recent reports
McCraney Lake fishing reports
Recent reports on McCraney 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
- DNR access: Unimproved access on north shore near inlet (very poor).
DNR bathymetry
McCraney Lake depth map
Within 30 miles
Nearby lakes
- Snider Lake · 634 ac · 2.5 mi
- White Earth Lake · 1,989 ac · 3.7 mi
- Tulaby Lake · 832 ac · 4.6 mi
- South Twin Lake · 1,127 ac · 5 mi
- Net Lake · 231 ac · 5.8 mi
- North Twin Lake · 966 ac · 6.5 mi
- Bass Lake · 735 ac · 6.6 mi
- Sargent Lake · 138 ac · 6.8 mi
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How deep is McCraney Lake?
McCraney Lake reaches 43 ft at its deepest point; about 40% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).
How big is McCraney Lake?
McCraney Lake covers 270 acres with about 4.4 miles of shoreline.
What fish are in McCraney Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2003) record walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, rock bass.
Is McCraney Lake stocked?
Yes. The DNR stocked walleye in 2025; the stocking table on this page lists every year back to 2017.
Does McCraney Lake have a public access?
Yes. McCraney Lake has one public access site: DNR access (Unimproved access on north shore near inlet (very poor).).
When was McCraney Lake last surveyed?
The Minnesota DNR last surveyed McCraney Lake in 2003, the most recent of 6 surveys on record. That is more than 20 years ago, so this page lists species without ratings.
Page updated .
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