Minnesota · Lake County

Whitefish Lake Fishing guide

Whitefish Lake sits in Lake County, Minnesota, and covers 346 acres, reaching 49 ft at its deepest point. Secchi readings average around 16.8 ft of visibility. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 9 times, most recently in 2025, with walleye, northern pike, yellow perch and brook trout in the nets.

Open the live map → Survey data

Depth to 49 ft · top 5 summer marks

Surface346 ac

Max depth49 ft

Clarity16.8 ft

Littoral55%

Surveyed2025

How to fish Whitefish Lake through the year

Walleye

Spring: Walleye are shallow, on and just off the spawning flats and the first green weeds. At 16.8 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 49 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.

Northern pike

Spring: Pike are in the shallow bays and along new weed growth. At 16.8 ft of clarity, fish them deeper and lighter than usual.
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 49 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.

Size history

Biggest fish by survey year

Survey year	Walleye	Northern pike	Yellow perch
2025	25"	19"	12"
2018	26"	25"	13"
2010	25"	35"	11"
2000	23"	22"	12"

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

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Walleye · Trolling

Leadcore Line + Crankbaits

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

15–45 fttrolling

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Northern pike · Soft plastics

Paddletail Swimbait on Jighead

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

3–25 ftmoderate

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Northern pike · Jigs & bladed

Inline Spinner (Mepps/Blue Fox)

#2–#4 in-line spinner

1–10 ftmoderate

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Yellow perch · Soft plastics

Curly-Tail Grub on Jig

3" curly-tail grub threaded on a round jighead

3–25 ftslow

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Yellow perch · Soft plastics

Tungsten Jig + Micro Plastic

1–1.5" micro plastic

2–15 ftdead slow

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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

Whitefish Lake is located 13.5 miles northwest of Tofte off the Whitefish Lake Road also called US Forest Service (USFS) Road 348. Walleye is the primary sportfish in the lake with Northern Pike and Yellow Perch also providing limited fisheries. The lake has a short carry down access, parking area, and three site USFS rustic campground on its northwest shore. Whitefish Lake also serves as the primary access point for the Timber Frear Loop Canoe Route, a USFS administered canoe route with portages connecting several lakes with backcountry campsites. There are several water access campsites on the lake in addition to those in the campground. A survey of Whitefish Lake was conducted during July of 2025 to update information on the sportfish populations and fish community.

Whitefish Lake continues to support a self-sustaining, high-density Walleye population with the gill net catch during the 2025 survey being comparable to the long-term average for the lake. Walleye had an average length of 14 inches with 21% of the fish measuring 16 inches or longer. Reproduction in Whitefish Lake is successful most years and fish survive to old ages. The fish sampled ranged from age-2 to age-17 with only age-16 fish absent from the sample. The Walleye population in Whitefish Lake continues to provide anglers with good opportunities to harvest eater-sized fish, but because of the lake's relatively clear water, anglers are likely to have the best luck fishing in low-light conditions.

Read the full DNR narrative

Northern Pike are also present in the lake with a few being sampled during the 2025 survey; however, all the pike sampled measured less than 20 inches in length. Historic survey data indicate the pike population has maintained low abundance and small size structure for many years and is likely limited by the natural habitat found in the lake. While pike may be encountered on Whitefish Lake, due to low abundance and small sizes, this population will not be of interest to most anglers.

Yellow Perch gill net catch was higher than normal relative to similar lakes and higher than the last couple surveys of Whitefish Lake. The average length of Perch during the 2025 survey was just under eight inches with the largest perch being 13 inches long. This species functions primarily as a forage species for the Walleye population, but anglers may occasionally catch perch they are interested in harvesting. White Sucker were the only other fish species sampled during the survey.

Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.

Recent reports

Whitefish Lake fishing reports

Recent reports on Whitefish 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

Lake County reports

Public water access

Getting on the water

Whitefish Lake (carry-in)

DNR bathymetry

Whitefish Lake depth map

Whitefish Lake depth contour map, Lake County, Minnesota — Depth contours to 49 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

South Wigwam Lake · 63 ac · 1 mi
Cross River Lake · 79 ac · 1.7 mi
Lost Lake · 82 ac · 1.9 mi
Elbow Lake · 528 ac · 2 mi
Finger Lake · 204 ac · 2.3 mi
Windy Lake · 456 ac · 2.4 mi
Organ Lake · 42 ac · 2.8 mi
Frear Lake · 317 ac · 3 mi

Quick answers

Frequently asked questions

How deep is Whitefish Lake?

Whitefish Lake reaches 49 ft at its deepest point; about 55% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).

How big is Whitefish Lake?

Whitefish Lake covers 346 acres with about 3.6 miles of shoreline.

How clear is the water in Whitefish Lake?

DNR Secchi readings on Whitefish Lake average 16.8 ft of visibility, clear water for a Minnesota lake.

What fish are in Whitefish Lake?

Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2025) record walleye, northern pike, yellow perch, brook trout.

Is Whitefish Lake stocked?

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

Does Whitefish Lake have a public access?

Yes. Whitefish Lake has one public access site: Whitefish Lake (carry-in).

How big do walleye get in Whitefish Lake?

The biggest walleye measured in recent DNR surveys taped 25"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 2000.

When was Whitefish Lake last surveyed?

The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Whitefish Lake in 2025, the most recent of 9 surveys on record.

Page updated September 22, 2026.

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

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