Minnesota · Cass County
McKeown Lake Fishing guide
McKeown Lake sits in Cass County, Minnesota, and covers 168 acres, reaching 37 ft at its deepest point. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 3 times, most recently in 1992, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and muskellunge in the nets. That survey is 34 years old now.
DNR survey data
Fish species
The DNR last surveyed McKeown Lake in 1992. 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
- Muskellunge
- Bluegill
- Crappie
- Yellow perch
- Rock bass
How to fish McKeown 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. With 76% of this lake 15 ft or shallower, the weed edge is the main event.
- 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. With 76% of this lake 15 ft or shallower, the weed edge is the main event.
- 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
Wacky-Rigged Stickworm
5" stickworm
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 1992 survey
Fish populations conducted in 1959, 1978, and 1992.Muskellunge: None sampled in 1992. Only one each in 1959 and 1978.Northern Pike - Abundance (as measured by gillnet catch rate) higher than during previous assessments. Quality size (greater than 28 inches long) fish present. Natural reproduction good.Cisco (Tullibee): None sampled in 1992. Were sampled in previous assessments.Bullhead: Three species. Abundance typical. Large fish present.Bluegill: Abundance unchanged from previous assessments. Ten percent of bluegill sampled greater than 7 inches long. Growth rate slow.Largemouth bass: Not many captured. Difficult to net. Electrofishing is a better sampling method.Black Crappie: Abundance unchanged from earlier assessments. Three year classes sampled. Fish were small.Walleye: Two large individuals were sampled.
Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.
Recent reports
McKeown Lake fishing reports
Recent reports on McKeown 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
- Public access: Small boat channel from Mann Lake.
DNR bathymetry
McKeown Lake depth map
Within 30 miles
Nearby lakes
- Man Lake · 491 ac · 0.9 mi
- Child Lake · 285 ac · 1.1 mi
- Barnum Lake · 151 ac · 1.4 mi
- Baby Lake · 737 ac · 1.6 mi
- Woman Lake · 5,520 ac · 2.4 mi
- Kid Lake · 168 ac · 2.6 mi
- Moccasin Lake · 272 ac · 2.7 mi
- Widow Lake · 198 ac · 2.9 mi
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How deep is McKeown Lake?
McKeown Lake reaches 37 ft at its deepest point with a mean depth of 5 ft; about 76% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).
How big is McKeown Lake?
McKeown Lake covers 168 acres with about 4 miles of shoreline.
What fish are in McKeown Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 1992) record walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, muskellunge, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, rock bass.
Is McKeown Lake stocked?
No stocking is on record for McKeown Lake in the DNR's stocking database.
Does McKeown Lake have a public access?
Yes. McKeown Lake has one public access site: Public access (Small boat channel from Mann Lake.).
When was McKeown Lake last surveyed?
The Minnesota DNR last surveyed McKeown Lake in 1992, the most recent of 3 surveys on record. That is more than 20 years ago, so this page lists species without ratings.
Page updated .
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