Minnesota · Douglas County
Mud Lake Fishing guide
Mud Lake covers 86 acres in Douglas County, Minnesota, reaching 52 ft at its deepest point. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 1 time, most recently in 1990, with largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill and crappie in the nets. That survey is 36 years old now.
DNR survey data
Fish species
The DNR last surveyed Mud Lake in 1990. Ratings need a survey from the last 20 years, so this page lists the species from that older record without numbers.
- Largemouth bass
- Northern pike
- Bluegill
- Crappie
How to fish Mud Lake through the year
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 52 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.
Northern pike
- Spring
- Pike are in the shallow bays and along new weed growth.
- Early summer
- Pike are on the outside weed edge and points.
- Summer
- Pike are on the deep weed edge and points near the coolest water they can find. On a lake that drops to 52 ft, check the deep edge of that structure too.
- Fall
- Pike are on the last green weeds and the breaks beside them, feeding heavily as the water drops.
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:
Largemouth bass · Soft plastics
Texas-Rigged Worm
7" ribbon-tail or straight-tail plastic worm
Largemouth bass · Soft plastics
Free Rig
Creature bait or magnum finesse worm
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
Bluegill · Live bait
Clip-On Bobber + Worm
half to whole garden nightcrawler
Bluegill · Soft plastics
Tungsten Jig + Micro Plastic
1–1.5" micro plastic
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 1990 survey
The 31 year gap in population assessments make analyzing gradual trends impossible. However some very noticeable changes in the fish populations have occurred. The Yellow Perch index was 103.5 fish/gillnet in 1959. No Yellow Perch were sampled in the 1990 assessment. No Bluegill were observed in trapnets in 1959. In 1990, Bluegill were captured in trapnets at an average of 23.1 fish/net night. Bluegill exhibited slow growth and PSD was only 6.0%. Northern Pike abundance has increased significantly (2.75 fish/gillnet to 16.00 fish/gillnet), and correspondingly mean weight has decreased from 3.32 to 1.33 pounds each. PSD decreased from 73.0% to 19.0%. No Walleye were captured in either survey. Largemouth Bass and Black Crappies were sampled in both surveys in numbers too small due to sampling inefficiency to show any definite population shifts.
Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.
Recent reports
Mud Lake fishing reports
Recent reports on Mud 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.
DNR bathymetry
Mud Lake depth map
Within 30 miles
Nearby lakes
- Cork Lake · 101 ac · 1.7 mi
- Lake Latoka · 767 ac · 1.7 mi
- Lake Mary · 2,450 ac · 2.3 mi
- Lake Mina · 411 ac · 2.5 mi
- Grill Lake · 67 ac · 2.8 mi
- Lake Andrew · 923 ac · 3.1 mi
- Lottie Lake · 46 ac · 3.4 mi
- Lobster Lake · 1,334 ac · 3.5 mi
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How deep is Mud Lake?
Mud Lake reaches 52 ft at its deepest point; about 66% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).
How big is Mud Lake?
Mud Lake covers 86 acres with about 1.6 miles of shoreline.
What fish are in Mud Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 1990) record largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie.
Is Mud Lake stocked?
No stocking is on record for Mud Lake in the DNR's stocking database.
When was Mud Lake last surveyed?
The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Mud Lake in 1990. That is more than 20 years ago, so this page lists species without ratings.
Page updated .
Featured guide spot
Your guide service here
One featured guide per lake, with your photo, your writeup and a link straight to your booking page. Free through December 31, 2026.
Then $20 a month from January. Cancel any time.
The live map adds today's conditions and ranked spots for Mud Lake, plus a trip plan you can share:
Open Mud Lake on the live map → Fished it lately? Write a report