Minnesota · Sherburne County

Mitchell Lake Fishing guide

Mitchell Lake covers 170 acres in Sherburne County, Minnesota, reaching 33 ft at its deepest point. Secchi readings average around 11 ft of visibility. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 8 times, most recently in 2019, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill in the nets. That survey is 7 years old now.

Open the live map → Survey data

Depth to 33 ft · top 5 summer marks

Surface170 ac

Max depth33 ft

Mean13.8 ft

Clarity11 ft

Littoral63%

Surveyed2019

How to fish Mitchell Lake through the year

Walleye

Spring: Walleye are shallow, on and just off the spawning flats and the first green weeds. At 11 ft of clarity, fish them deeper and lighter than usual.
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 63% 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. At 11 ft of clarity, fish them deeper and lighter than usual.
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 63% 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.

Size history

Biggest fish by survey year

Survey year	Walleye	Largemouth bass	Northern pike
2017	22"	19"	31"
2004	27"	18"	31"

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

8–35 ftslow

Shop octopus hooks →

Walleye · Trolling

Leadcore Line + Crankbaits

4–5" mid-diving crankbait behind a long leadcore run

15–45 fttrolling

Shop deep-diving crankbaits →

Largemouth bass · Soft plastics

Texas-Rigged Worm

7" ribbon-tail or straight-tail plastic worm

1–25 ftdead slow

Shop plastic worms →

Largemouth bass · Soft plastics

Free Rig

Creature bait or magnum finesse worm

8–30 ftdead slowweedless

Shop creature baits →

Northern pike · Soft plastics

Paddletail Swimbait on Jighead

4–5" paddletail swimbait on a ball-head swimbait jighead

3–25 ftmoderate

Shop paddletail swimbaits →

Northern pike · Muskie & pike

Soft Rubber (Bull Dawg / Medusa)

10" soft rubber body bait

3–25 ftslow

Shop musky rubber →

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	235 yearlings
2024	Walleye	1,605 fingerlings
2023	Walleye	2,700 fingerlings
2022	Walleye	3,210 fingerlings
2020	Walleye	31 yearlings · 165 adults
2018	Walleye	478 fingerlings · 137 yearlings · 41 adults
2016	Walleye	474 fingerlings · 532 yearlings

MN DNR · in their words

From the 2019 survey

A targeted survey of the nearshore fish community was conducted on June 19, 2019 by Fisheries Lake IBI program staff. Sampling stations were evenly spaced around the lake and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible. Backpack electrofishing was completed at all 10 stations. A 15-foot seine was used to sample 4 stations and a 50-foot seine was used to sample 6 stations. Nearshore sampling captured 13 native fish species including two intolerant species (Blacknose Shiner and Iowa Darter) and one species (Green Sunfish) that is tolerant of disturbance.

Data from this targeted nearshore survey is combined with data from standard gill and trap netting surveys to calculate a Fish-based Index of Biological Integrity (FIBI) score that describes the overall health of the lake. The FIBI uses fish community data to measure a lake's health, and the types of fish species present can help identify any stressors that may be negatively affecting the lake environment. The FIBI score, composed of several fish community diversity and composition metrics, indicates the overall health of a lake by comparing it to what is expected for a healthy lake. The FIBI score for Mitchell Lake based on this survey is near the impairment threshold for aquatic life use determined for similar lakes.

Read the full DNR narrative

Data from this survey will contribute biological information about the health of the fish community to the Mississippi River - St. Cloud Watershed assessment process in coordination with MN Pollution Control Agency.

Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.

Recent reports

Mitchell Lake fishing reports

Recent reports on Mitchell 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.

Open the live map → Fished it lately? Write a report

Sherburne County reports

Public water access

Getting on the water

City access: Access ramp on the north side of Mitchell Lake. Parking not available.
City access: Access is within a park on the SW corner of Big Lake. Mitchell Lake can be accessed by a navigable channel.

DNR bathymetry

Mitchell Lake depth map

Mitchell Lake depth contour map, Sherburne County, Minnesota — Depth contours to 33 ft from Minnesota DNR bathymetry, free to save or print. The live map adds ranked spots and conditions on the same contours.

Within 30 miles

Nearby lakes

Big Lake · 254 ac · 0.5 mi
Eagle Lake · 462 ac · 3.2 mi
Birch Lake · 160 ac · 4.7 mi
First Lake · 17 ac · 4.9 mi
Mud Lake · 33 ac · 5.3 mi
Long Lake · 96 ac · 5.9 mi
Bertram Lake · 111 ac · 6.2 mi
Ann Lake · 183 ac · 6.2 mi

Quick answers

Frequently asked questions

How deep is Mitchell Lake?

Mitchell Lake reaches 33 ft at its deepest point with a mean depth of 13.8 ft; about 63% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).

How big is Mitchell Lake?

Mitchell Lake covers 170 acres with about 2.2 miles of shoreline.

How clear is the water in Mitchell Lake?

DNR Secchi readings on Mitchell Lake average 11 ft of visibility, clear water for a Minnesota lake.

What fish are in Mitchell Lake?

Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2019) record walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch.

Is Mitchell Lake stocked?

Yes. The DNR stocked walleye in 2025; the stocking table on this page lists every year back to 2016.

Does Mitchell Lake have a public access?

Yes. Mitchell Lake has 2 public access sites, including a City access (Access ramp on the north side of Mitchell Lake. Parking not available.).

How big do walleye get in Mitchell Lake?

The biggest walleye measured in recent DNR surveys taped 22"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 2004.

When was Mitchell Lake last surveyed?

The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Mitchell Lake in 2019, the most recent of 8 surveys on record. A survey that old is a starting point, not a current reading.

Page updated October 28, 2026.

The live map adds today's conditions and ranked spots for Mitchell Lake, plus a trip plan you can share:

Open Mitchell Lake on the live map → Fished it lately? Write a report