Minnesota · Cass County

Swift Lake Fishing guide

Swift Lake covers 357 acres in Cass County, Minnesota, reaching 52 ft at its deepest point. Secchi readings average around 12 ft of visibility. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 5 times, most recently in 2025, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill in the nets.

Open the live map → Survey data

Depth to 52 ft · top 5 summer marks

Surface357 ac

Max depth52 ft

Mean14 ft

Clarity12 ft

Littoral52%

Surveyed2025

How to fish Swift Lake through the year

Walleye

Spring: Walleye are shallow, on and just off the spawning flats and the first green weeds. At 12 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. On a lake that drops to 52 ft, check the deep edge of that structure too.
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 12 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. 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.

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
2025	21"	18"	35"
2002	19"	19"	27"

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.

MN DNR · in their words

From the 2025 survey

Swift Lake is a 357-acre lake with 6 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 52 feet located north of Longville, MN. The DNR has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different classes based on physical, chemical and other characteristics. Swift Lake is in Lake Class 25; lakes in this class are generally deep, clear and irregularly shaped. Other Lake Class 25 lakes in the Walker Area include Boy, Birch, Blackwater, Girl, Hand, and Inguadona. The lake is primarily managed for Black Crappie and Bluegill, and secondarily for Northern Pike and Yellow Perch. A special regulation for Sunfish and Black Crappie (daily bag limit 10 Sunfish and 5 Black Crappie) was implemented March 2022 as part of the state-wide Quality Sunfish Initiative (QSI) which aims to protect or increase size of Sunfish populations.

Black Crappie abundance increased from previous surveys and ranged in length from 4 to 15 inches. Bluegill abundance increased from previous surveys and fish up to 9 inches were sampled. Northern Pike abundance remained within management goals. Lengths ranged from 15 to 36 inches, with an average length of 21 inches and met population size structure goals. Yellow Perch numbers were within management goals, and fish up to 10 inches long were sampled.

Read the full DNR narrative

Other fish species sampled include Bowfin, Brown Bullhead, Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Rock Bass, White Sucker, and Yellow Bullhead.

People can have significant impacts on lakes and the fish populations they support. Harvest, lakeshore development, removal of shoreline vegetation, and introductions of invasive species can all adversely affect fish populations. Currently, no aquatic invasive species (AIS) have been identified in Swift Lake. AIS are moved from infested to non-infested waters by anglers, boaters, and lake shore owners and can adversely impact lakes and fish populations. To avoid spreading AIS, lake users are required to remove all aquatic plants or animals from their watercraft and drain all water from their boat before leaving the access. If you suspect an infestation of an invasive species in this lake, save a specimen and report it to a local natural resource office. Additional information on all of these topics can be found on the DNR website (www.dnr.state.mn.us) or by contacting the Walker Area Fisheries office.

Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.

Recent reports

Swift Lake fishing reports

Recent reports on Swift 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

Cass County reports

DNR bathymetry

Swift Lake depth map

Swift Lake depth contour map, Cass County, Minnesota — Depth contours to 52 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

Boy Lake · 3,308 ac · 3.1 mi
Mabel Lake · 184 ac · 3.3 mi
Little Sand Lake · 413 ac · 5.3 mi
Big Sand Lake · 731 ac · 5.8 mi
Town Line Lake · 698 ac · 6.1 mi
Grave Lake · 373 ac · 6.6 mi
Long Lake · 1,007 ac · 7.3 mi
Lower Trelipe Lake · 618 ac · 7.4 mi

Quick answers

Frequently asked questions

How deep is Swift Lake?

Swift Lake reaches 52 ft at its deepest point with a mean depth of 14 ft; about 52% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).

How big is Swift Lake?

Swift Lake covers 357 acres with about 5.6 miles of shoreline.

How clear is the water in Swift Lake?

DNR Secchi readings on Swift Lake average 12 ft of visibility, clear water for a Minnesota lake.

What fish are in Swift Lake?

Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2025) record walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, rock bass.

Is Swift Lake stocked?

No stocking is on record for Swift Lake in the DNR's stocking database.

How big do walleye get in Swift Lake?

The biggest walleye measured in recent DNR surveys taped 21"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 2002.

When was Swift Lake last surveyed?

The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Swift Lake in 2025, the most recent of 5 surveys on record.

Page updated September 22, 2026.

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

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