Minnesota · Becker County
Mill Lake Fishing guide
Mill Lake sits in Becker County, Minnesota, and covers 155 acres, reaching 10 ft at its deepest point. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 2 times, most recently in 2005, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill in the nets. That survey is 21 years old now.
DNR survey data
Fish species
The DNR last surveyed Mill Lake in 2005. 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
How to fish Mill 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 100% 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. A 10-ft bowl cools fast, so the fall window comes early here.
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 100% 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. A 10-ft bowl cools fast, so the fall window comes early here.
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 · Soft plastics
Curly-Tail Grub on Jig
3" curly-tail grub threaded on a round jighead
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 · Jigs & bladed
Spinnerbait
3/8–1/2 oz safety-pin spinnerbait with tandem willow-leaf blades
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 2005 survey
Mill Lake has no designated public boat ramp but boat access can be obtained from Lake Melissa via the Pelican River. Shore fishing is popular through much of the summer near the outlet dam (Buck's Mill). Technically, the lake is a reservoir since the dam maintains the water level about six feet higher than would otherwise be the case. Without the dam, Mill Lake would be a marsh with a four foot deep river running through it. The east half of the lake is almost entirely filled with dense plant growth except where the river channel flows through. The west basin has more open water but has a maximum depth of just ten feet.Largemouth bass and bluegills are probably the most common fish caught on the upstream side of the dam (Mill Lake itself). Northern pike, black crappie, bullheads, and a few other miscellaneous species including muskie and walleye can also be caught. Bass sampled during the survey averaged just over 12 inches in length while bluegills averaged about half that. Some bluegills over nine inches were also found. Northern pike were relatively abundant and the average length was 19.7 inches. Yellow bullheads in this lake tend to be larger than half-pound and are also of interest to some anglers in Mill Lake.
Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.
Recent reports
Mill Lake fishing reports
Recent reports on Mill 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: Water access via Pelican River from Lake Melissa
DNR bathymetry
Mill Lake depth map
Within 30 miles
Nearby lakes
- Sauer Lake · 193 ac · 0.9 mi
- Melissa Lake · 1,850 ac · 1 mi
- Meadow Lake · 71 ac · 2.4 mi
- Little Pelican Lake · 366 ac · 2.5 mi
- Johnson Lake · 183 ac · 2.9 mi
- Leek Lake · 621 ac · 3.3 mi
- Sallie Lake · 1,280 ac · 3.3 mi
- Eunice Lake · 378 ac · 3.5 mi
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How deep is Mill Lake?
Mill Lake reaches 10 ft at its deepest point; about 100% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).
How big is Mill Lake?
Mill Lake covers 155 acres with about 4 miles of shoreline.
What fish are in Mill Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2005) record walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch.
Is Mill Lake stocked?
No stocking is on record for Mill Lake in the DNR's stocking database.
Does Mill Lake have a public access?
Yes. Mill Lake has one public access site: DNR access (Water access via Pelican River from Lake Melissa).
When was Mill Lake last surveyed?
The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Mill Lake in 2005, 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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