Minnesota · Cass County
Variety Lake Fishing guide
Variety Lake sits in Cass County, Minnesota, and covers 160 acres, reaching 29 ft at its deepest point. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 2 times, most recently in 1987, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill in the nets. That survey is 39 years old now.
DNR survey data
Fish species
The DNR last surveyed Variety Lake in 1987. Ratings need a survey from the last 20 years, so this page lists the species from that older record without numbers.
- Walleye
- Largemouth bass
- Northern pike
- Bluegill
- Crappie
- Yellow perch
How to fish Variety Lake through the year
Walleye
- Spring
- Walleye are shallow, on and just off the spawning flats and the first green weeds.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Suggested tackle
What to bring
Top presentations for this lake's structure and clarity:
Walleye · Trolling
Snap Weights + Stickbaits
4–5" suspending or slow-floating stickbait
Largemouth bass · Hardbaits
Topwater Popper
2.5–3" concave-face popper
Largemouth bass · Hardbaits
Hollow-Body Frog
3–3.5" hollow-body frog
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
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 1987 survey
The gillnet catch of northern pike (20.4/GN) indicates a high population. The 1981 and 1967 assessments catch of northern pike were 7.8 and 14.3 respectively. Quality size fish were present and growth rates were good. The bulk of northern pike ranged in length from 16 to 21 inches.The trapnet catch of bluegill was quite high at 52.7/TN. Their growth rate was about average, though many quality size bluegill were present in the sample. These are all old fish (greater than 8 years). Black crappie numbers were good and they exhibit good growth rates. Four year-classes of black crappie were present.
Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.
Recent reports
Variety Lake fishing reports
Recent reports on Variety 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
Variety Lake depth map
Within 30 miles
Nearby lakes
- Crystal Lake · 190 ac · 3.4 mi
- Long Lake · 143 ac · 4 mi
- Birch Lake · 1,267 ac · 4.4 mi
- Beuber Lake · 132 ac · 5.1 mi
- Perch Lake · 13 ac · 5.6 mi
- Ten Mile Lake · 5,080 ac · 5.7 mi
- Island Lake · 78 ac · 6 mi
- Little Bass Lake · 114 ac · 6 mi
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How deep is Variety Lake?
Variety Lake reaches 29 ft at its deepest point with a mean depth of 18 ft; about 39% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).
How big is Variety Lake?
Variety Lake covers 160 acres with about 2.7 miles of shoreline.
What fish are in Variety Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 1987) record walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch.
Is Variety Lake stocked?
No stocking is on record for Variety Lake in the DNR's stocking database.
When was Variety Lake last surveyed?
The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Variety Lake in 1987, the most recent of 2 surveys on record. 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 Variety Lake, plus a trip plan you can share:
Open Variety Lake on the live map → Fished it lately? Write a report