Minnesota · Clay County
Tilde Lake Fishing guide
Tilde Lake covers 249 acres in Clay County, Minnesota, reaching 13 ft at its deepest point. Secchi readings average around 1.7 ft of visibility. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 7 times, most recently in 2025, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill in the nets.
DNR survey data
Fish species
WalleyeLast stocked 2024One of the best around60.5per gill net17"Typical21"Biggest
Lengths measured · 160 fish
Recent · 2025Lengths measured · 160 fish
2025Lengths measured · 453 fish
2016Lengths measured · 31 fish
2005Lengths measured · 144 fish
1996No recent survey rating.
Northern pikeGood numbers11per gill net17"Typical30"Biggest
Lengths measured · 40 fish
Recent · 2025Lengths measured · 40 fish
2025Lengths measured · 14 fish
2020Lengths measured · 13 fish
2016Lengths measured · 7 fish
2005Only 7 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
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 Tilde Lake through the year
Walleye
- Spring
- Walleye are shallow, on and just off the spawning flats and the first green weeds. In 1.7 ft of visibility, they sit shallower than you think.
- 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 13-ft bowl cools fast, so the fall window comes early here.
Northern pike
- Spring
- Pike are in the shallow bays and along new weed growth. In 1.7 ft of visibility, they sit shallower than you think.
- 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. With 100% of this lake 15 ft or shallower, the weed edge is the main event.
- Fall
- Pike are on the last green weeds and the breaks beside them, feeding heavily as the water drops. A 13-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.
Size history
Biggest fish by survey year
| Survey year | Walleye | Northern pike | Rock bass |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 21" | 30" | 6" |
| 2020 | — | 19" | — |
| 2016 | 19" | 26" | 9" |
| 2005 | 26" | 28" | — |
| 1996 | 20" | 11" | — |
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 · Soft plastics
Curly-Tail Grub on Jig
3" curly-tail grub threaded on a round jighead
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
Rock bass · Hardbaits
Walk-the-Dog Topwater
4–4.5" walk-the-dog topwater
Rock bass · Soft plastics
Texas-Rigged Worm
7" ribbon-tail or straight-tail plastic worm
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Walleye | 261,146 fry |
| 2023 | Walleye | 259,000 fry |
| 2022 | Walleye | 259,000 fry |
| 2021 | Walleye | 259,000 fry |
| 2018 | Walleye | 259,000 fry |
| 2016 | Walleye | 259,000 fry |
MN DNR · in their words
From the 2025 survey
Tilde Lake is a 259-acre, class 43 lake in northeastern Clay County, approximately five miles northeast of Hitterdal. The maximum depth is 13 feet and the lake experiences occasional winterkill. The lake's shoreline is undeveloped except for a single farmstead near the southeast shore. The surrounding watershed is primarily agricultural (small grain croplands) although there is a fringe of hardwoods and wild grasslands around much of the lake. While the vegetative fringe probably helps to buffer the lake from field runoff, there are at least three intermittently flowing ditches draining surrounding farmland into the lake. Algal blooms are common during summer and Walleyes in this lake are reported by some to have an undesirable flavor when the water warms. A standard survey was completed on Tilde Lake in August 2025 to assess the fish community using two gill nets and nine trap nets.
Tilde Lake frequently experiences significant winterkills with the most recent likely occurring during the winter of 2022-2023. Walleye fry were stocked in the spring of 2023 and 2024 to replenish the population, which proved to be successful. The gill net catch rate for Walleye was 61 fish per net in 2025. The historical average Walleye gill net catch rate prior to this survey was 46 fish per net. Walleye averaged 16.5 inches in length with the largest fish captured measuring 21.3 inches.
Read the full DNR narrative
The Northern Pike catch rate was 11 fish per net and 41% of fish captured were greater than 24 inches. Gill nets captured Northern Pike ranging in total length from 14 to 30 inches and averaged 20.5 inches. Other fish captured were Rock Bass and White Sucker.
Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.
Recent reports
Tilde Lake fishing reports
Recent reports on Tilde 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
- Tilde Lake (trailer launch)
DNR bathymetry
Tilde Lake depth map
Within 30 miles
Nearby lakes
- East LaBelle Lake · 229 ac · 9.9 mi
- Sand Lake · 311 ac · 10.1 mi
- Lee Lake · 158 ac · 10.7 mi
- Boyer Lake · 438 ac · 12.1 mi
- Bijou Lake · 225 ac · 13.1 mi
- Stakke Lake · 497 ac · 13.2 mi
- Marshall Lake · 191 ac · 14 mi
- Silver Lake · 115 ac · 14.1 mi
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How deep is Tilde Lake?
Tilde Lake reaches 13 ft at its deepest point with a mean depth of 9 ft; about 100% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).
How big is Tilde Lake?
Tilde Lake covers 249 acres with about 2.7 miles of shoreline.
How clear is the water in Tilde Lake?
DNR Secchi readings on Tilde Lake average 1.7 ft of visibility, on the stained end for a Minnesota lake.
What fish are in Tilde Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2025) record walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, yellow perch, rock bass.
Is Tilde Lake stocked?
Yes. The DNR stocked walleye in 2024; the stocking table on this page lists every year back to 2016.
Does Tilde Lake have a public access?
Yes. Tilde Lake has one public access site: Tilde Lake (trailer launch).
How big do walleye get in Tilde 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 1996.
When was Tilde Lake last surveyed?
The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Tilde Lake in 2025, the most recent of 7 surveys on record.
Page updated .
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