Minnesota · Wright County
Millstone Lake Fishing guide
Millstone Lake is a 200-acre lake in Wright County, Minnesota, reaching 8.5 ft at its deepest point. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 1 time, most recently in 2019, with bluegill and crappie in the nets. That survey is 7 years old now.
DNR survey data
Fish species
No recent survey rating.
No recent survey rating.
Rates come from standard DNR survey gear (gill nets, trap nets, electrofishing), judged against statewide benchmarks for the same gear, so the same number of fish per net can read differently for two species. Where the standard gear can't count a species reliably, only presence and size are listed. Typical is the middle fish of those measured. Open a row for the full length spread, survey by survey.
How to fish Millstone Lake through the year
Bluegill
- Spring
- Bluegill are on the beds in firm-bottomed shallows, in colonies of dozens. On a clear lake those colonies sit deeper than you expect.
- Early summer
- Bluegill are off the beds and onto the weed edges and brush, the biggest ones pulling out first.
- Summer
- Bluegill are on the deep weedline of a stratified lake, sliding out as the surface starts back down. With 100% of this lake 15 ft or shallower, the weed edge is the main event.
- Fall
- Bluegill are back up onto the flats and into the last green weeds, feeding hard while the shallows still hold heat. A 8.5-ft bowl cools fast, so the fall window comes early here.
Crappie
- Spring
- Crappie are up in the back bays and against wood in a few feet of water, spawning shallower than most people fish for them.
- Early summer
- Crappie are pulling off the bays to the first deep weed edge and brush, still reachable shallow at dusk.
- Summer
- Crappie are over the basin of a stratified lake, well off any structure, which is why summer netting barely catches them inshore. With 100% of this lake 15 ft or shallower, the weed edge is the main event.
- Fall
- Crappie are schooled along the deep weedline and the basin edge, pushing shallow to feed at dusk while the water still turns over slowly. A 8.5-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:
Bluegill · Live bait
Clip-On Bobber + Worm
half to whole garden nightcrawler
Bluegill · Soft plastics
Tungsten Jig + Micro Plastic
1–1.5" micro plastic
Crappie · Jigs & bladed
Beetle Spin
1.5–2" curly-tail grub trailer on a small in-line spinner jighead
Crappie · Soft plastics
Curly-Tail Grub on Jig
3" curly-tail grub threaded on a round jighead
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 2019 survey
Millstone Lake is located four miles north of Maple Lake in Wright County. It has a surface area of 202 acres and a maximum depth of eight to ten feet depending on water levels. The watershed is small (705 acres) mostly agricultural, and water quality is poor. Millstone Lake has not been considered to be a "fish lake" and no fisheries management has taken place with the exception of its use as a walleye fingerling rearing pond by the MN DNR in 2001 and 2014 (both years corresponding to severe winterkill events the previous winter). There is a state owned access on west side of the lake near the Lakeview Cemetery off of Country Road 8. This brief survey was intended to determine if a possible winterkill took place in the winter of 2018-19 based on reports of dead fish discovered at the time of ice-off in the early spring of 2019.
On May 7, 2019 four 1/4" single framed trap nets were set in Millstone Lake. Individual fish were not counted, but approximate numbers were as follows: 5-10 adult Black Bullheads per trap net ranging in length from 4 to 10 inches, 5-25 yearling Bluegills/ trap net approximately 2 inches in length, 2 adult BLG/ trap net ranging in length from 4 to 7 inches, 2-5 adult (4") Green Sunfish/ trap net, and a single 3 inch long Black Crappie.
Read the full DNR narrative
A visual inspection of the shoreline of the lake yielded hundreds of decaying Common Carp as well as a few badly decayed Walleye and Largemouth Bass. The results of this survey confirmed that although dissolved oxygen levels were low enough to cause some of the more winterkill susceptible species to die, conditions were not severe enough to cause mortality in the majority of the panfish and bullheads present and that conditions were not suitable for the use of Millstone as a Walleye rearing pond in the spring of 2019.
Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.
Recent reports
Millstone Lake fishing reports
Recent reports on Millstone 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
- Millstone Lake (trailer launch)
DNR bathymetry
Millstone Lake depth map
Within 30 miles
Nearby lakes
- Silver Lake · 83 ac · 1.7 mi
- Mink Lake · 280 ac · 2 mi
- Indian Lake · 139 ac · 2.1 mi
- Somers Lake · 151 ac · 2.3 mi
- Mary Lake · 196 ac · 2.4 mi
- Limestone Lake · 234 ac · 2.8 mi
- Sugar Lake · 1,014 ac · 3.1 mi
- Ember Lake · 59 ac · 3.5 mi
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How deep is Millstone Lake?
Millstone Lake reaches 8.5 ft at its deepest point with a mean depth of 4.2 ft; about 100% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).
How big is Millstone Lake?
Millstone Lake covers 200 acres with about 2.6 miles of shoreline.
What fish are in Millstone Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2019) record bluegill, crappie.
Is Millstone Lake stocked?
No stocking is on record for Millstone Lake in the DNR's stocking database.
Does Millstone Lake have a public access?
Yes. Millstone Lake has one public access site: Millstone Lake (trailer launch).
When was Millstone Lake last surveyed?
The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Millstone Lake in 2019. A survey that old is a starting point, not a current reading.
Page updated .
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