Minnesota · St. Louis County

Whitewater Lake Fishing guide

Whitewater Lake is a 1,212-acre lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota, reaching 73 ft at its deepest point. Secchi readings average around 16.2 ft of visibility. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 10 times, most recently in 2023, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill in the nets.

Open the live map → Survey data

Depth to 73 ft · top 5 summer marks

Surface1,212 ac

Max depth73 ft

Clarity16.2 ft

Littoral47%

Surveyed2023

How to fish Whitewater Lake through the year

Walleye

Spring: Walleye are shallow, on and just off the spawning flats and the first green weeds. At 16.2 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 73 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 16.2 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 73 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	Largemouth bass
2023	26"	41"	15"
2019	29"	30"	19"
2016	28"	28"	16"
2012	26"	33"	18"
2007	27"	32"	14"
2002	23"	41"	14"
1997	26"	25"	—

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 →

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

Shop inline spinners →

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 →

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 2023 survey

Whitewater Lake is a 2,351-acre lake located one mile west of Hoyt Lakes. There is a public access with multiple boat ramps and ample parking space located within the city campground on Fisherman's Point. Whitewater Lake is up to 73 feet deep and has a mostly gravel bottom, with isolated areas of rock along the dikes and muck bottom with dense vegetation in some of the bays. The lake is relatively clear water with around 12 feet of visibility. Aside from the campground and several homes along part of the northeast shore, the entire shoreline of Whitewater Lake is undeveloped.

Whitewater Lake was thermally stratified on August 21, 2023, with a surface temperature of 68 F, a bottom temperature of 46 F, and adequate oxygen warmwater fish species down to 18 feet where the water temperature was 62 F.

Read the full DNR narrative

Walleye were sampled at a rate of 6.3 fish/gill net, which was slightly below average for the lake. The walleye were 16.2 incles long on average and 74% of the fish were over 14.0 inches, providing ample opportunities for anglers hoping to harvest walleye. Walleye ages ranged from 1 to 21 and indicated consistent recruitment in this naturally reproducing population.

Northern pike were sampled at a rate of 7.2 fish/gill net, which was higher than average for Whitewater Lake. The pike were 19.6 inches long on average, which was slightly larger than the historical average for the lake. The largest pike sampled in 2023 was 41.7 inches long, which was the largest ever sampled from the lake.

Bluegill abundance was well above average in this survey, with catch rates of 12.4 fish/trap net and 14.9 fish/gill net. The overall average length of bluegill was 6.0 inches, and 29% of the catch was 7.0 inches or larger. The largest bluegill sampled was 9.5 inches in length, and bluegill ages ranged from 3 to 12.

Black crappie catch rates were close to the historical average for the lake, with catch rates of 0.7 fish/trap net and 1.6 fish/gill net. The average length of all sampled crappie was 8.4 inches, and the largest crappie sampled was 12.1 inches in length. Black crappie ages ranged from 3 to 7.

Additional species sampled in 2023 included burbot, brown bullhead, channel catfish, golden shiner, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, pumpkinseed, rock bass, shorthead redhorse, white sucker, yellow bullhead, and yellow perch.

Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.

Recent reports

Whitewater Lake fishing reports

Recent reports on Whitewater 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

St. Louis County reports

Public water access

Getting on the water

Whitewater Lake (trailer launch)
Whitewater Lake Fishing Pier (fishing pier)

DNR bathymetry

Whitewater Lake depth map

Whitewater Lake depth contour map, St. Louis County, Minnesota — Depth contours to 73 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

Colby Lake · 518 ac · 1.9 mi
St James Pit · 124 ac · 3.7 mi
Cedar Lake · 32 ac · 4.9 mi
North Twin Lake · 66 ac · 5.4 mi
South Twin Lake · 118 ac · 5.4 mi
Sabin Lake · 156 ac · 5.5 mi
Bird Lake · 16 ac · 5.5 mi
Embarrass Lake · 463 ac · 6.7 mi

Quick answers

Frequently asked questions

How deep is Whitewater Lake?

Whitewater Lake reaches 73 ft at its deepest point; about 47% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).

How big is Whitewater Lake?

Whitewater Lake covers 1,212 acres with about 18.1 miles of shoreline.

How clear is the water in Whitewater Lake?

DNR Secchi readings on Whitewater Lake average 16.2 ft of visibility, clear water for a Minnesota lake.

What fish are in Whitewater Lake?

Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2023) record walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, rock bass, channel catfish.

Is Whitewater Lake stocked?

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

Does Whitewater Lake have a public access?

Yes. Whitewater Lake has 2 public access sites, including Whitewater Lake (trailer launch).

How big do walleye get in Whitewater Lake?

The biggest walleye measured in recent DNR surveys taped 26"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 1997.

When was Whitewater Lake last surveyed?

The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Whitewater Lake in 2023, the most recent of 10 surveys on record.

Page updated September 22, 2026.

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

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