Minnesota · St. Louis County

Wild Rice Lake Fishing guide

Wild Rice Lake is a 2,372-acre lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota, reaching 11 ft at its deepest point. Average water clarity runs about 4.3 ft. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 6 times, most recently in 2024, with walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill in the nets.

Open the live map → Survey data

Depth to 11 ft · top 5 summer marks

Surface2,372 ac

Max depth11 ft

Clarity4.3 ft

Littoral100%

Surveyed2024

How to fish Wild Rice 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. 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 11-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.
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 11-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	Largemouth bass
2024	28"	32"	19"
2019	27"	37"	17"
2014	27"	42"	14"
2009	29"	42"	—
2004	24"	40"	—
1995	23"	38"	—

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 · Soft plastics

Curly-Tail Grub on Jig

3" curly-tail grub threaded on a round jighead

3–25 ftslow

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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

Spinnerbait

3/8–1/2 oz safety-pin spinnerbait with tandem willow-leaf blades

1–12 ftmoderate

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Largemouth bass · Soft plastics

Texas-Rigged Worm

7" ribbon-tail or straight-tail plastic worm

1–25 ftdead slow

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Largemouth bass · Soft plastics

Wacky-Rigged Stickworm

5" stickworm

1–12 ftdead slowweedless

Shop stickworms →

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 2024 survey

Wild Rice Reservoir is a 2,127-acre waterbody located about five miles north of Duluth with a maximum depth of 11 feet. There is a back-in concrete ramp located just west of the dam off County Road 247 that is owned by Minnesota Power but open to public use. Wild Rice is operated as a water storage reservoir by Minnesota Power and is subject to water level manipulation. Wild Rice is listed by MN Pollution Control Agency as impaired for aquatic consumption for both per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFOS) and mercury in fish tissue. Anglers should refer to the MN Department of Health website for the most up to date consumption guidelines.

The 2024 lake management plan (LMP) listed Walleye, Black Crappie and Bluegill as the primary management species. The LMP goals were to maintain a Walleye gill net catch above average compared to other similar lakes with some Walleye over 20 inches present, as well as Bluegill and Black Crappie populations capable of supporting preferred and occasionally, memorable or trophy size fish. Special five fish daily limit regulations designed to protect and enhance Bluegill and Black Crappie quality size structure were implemented on Wild Rice in 2021. Wild Rice was assessed during the summer of 2024 to update information about fish populations and is surveyed once every five years, most recently in 2019.

Read the full DNR narrative

The Walleye population in Wild Rice is self-sustaining and has not been stocked since 1983. Walleye gill net abundance (15.9/net) was above average compared to other similar Minnesota lakes. Walleye mean length was 16.2 inches with fish ranging from 7.5 to 28.9 inches. Walleye angling in Wild Rice is expected to be excellent in 2025 and beyond with high abundance, good population size structure and consistent natural reproduction.

Panfish populations in Wild Rice are currently in excellent condition. Bluegill abundance of 11.3 per trap net was above average compared to other Minnesota lakes of similar type. Bluegill were first encountered in Wild Rice by DNR Fisheries in 1988 and have since become well established and are providing quality angling opportunities. Average length was 7.3 inches and several large specimens over 9 inches long were captured. Black Crappie abundance was average compared to other similar lakes. Black Crappie mean length exceeded 10 inches and several crappies over 12 inches long were sampled. Historically, Yellow Perch gill net abundance has been highly variable in Wild Rice ranging from 3.5 to 40.3 per lift. Average length of Yellow Perch was 6.9 inches and ranged from 4.9 to 12.6 inches. Size structure goals for panfish populations were achieved.

Wild Rice is known locally for producing quality Northern Pike. Historically, the pike gill net catch ranged from 1.0 to 9.5 fish/net but a historic high catch rate was observed in 2024 (11.3/net). Mean length of Northern Pike was 19.8 inches and ranged from 12.1 to 32.4 inches.

Largemouth Bass were first detected in Wild Rice in 2010 and have since become well-established. Spring electrofishing targeting bass captured 35 fish ranging from 2.9 to 19.3 inches long, the highest catch observed since standardized electrofishing assessments were initiated in 2014.

Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.

Recent reports

Wild Rice Lake fishing reports

Recent reports on Wild Rice 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

Wild Rice Lake (trailer launch)

DNR bathymetry

Wild Rice Lake depth map

Wild Rice Lake depth contour map, St. Louis County, Minnesota — Depth contours to 11 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

Fish Lake Flowage · 3,259 ac · 5.5 mi
Clearwater Lake · 15 ac · 5.6 mi
Pike Lake · 488 ac · 5.7 mi
Caribou Lake · 539 ac · 6.1 mi
Eagle Lake · 114 ac · 6.9 mi
Schultz Lake · 210 ac · 7.4 mi
Mud Lake · 51 ac · 8.1 mi
Twin (Lakes) Lake · 2 ac · 8.3 mi

Quick answers

Frequently asked questions

How deep is Wild Rice Lake?

Wild Rice Lake reaches 11 ft at its deepest point; about 100% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).

How big is Wild Rice Lake?

Wild Rice Lake covers 2,372 acres with about 14.2 miles of shoreline.

How clear is the water in Wild Rice Lake?

DNR Secchi readings on Wild Rice Lake average 4.3 ft of visibility, middling clarity for a Minnesota lake.

What fish are in Wild Rice Lake?

Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2024) record walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, rock bass.

Is Wild Rice Lake stocked?

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

Does Wild Rice Lake have a public access?

Yes. Wild Rice Lake has one public access site: Wild Rice Lake (trailer launch).

How big do walleye get in Wild Rice Lake?

The biggest walleye measured in recent DNR surveys taped 28"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 1995.

When was Wild Rice Lake last surveyed?

The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Wild Rice Lake in 2024, the most recent of 6 surveys on record.

Page updated September 22, 2026.

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

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