Minnesota · St. Louis County
Wynne Lake Fishing guide
Wynne Lake sits in St. Louis County, Minnesota, and covers 279 acres, reaching 52 ft at its deepest point. Average water clarity runs about 4.5 ft. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 8 times, most recently in 2016, with walleye, northern pike, bluegill and crappie in the nets. That survey is 10 years old now.
DNR survey data
Fish species
WalleyeFair numbers2.1per gill net9"Typical27"Biggest
Lengths measured · 29 fish
Recent · 2016Lengths measured · 29 fish
2016Lengths measured · 27 fish
2006Lengths measured · 36 fish
1996Yellow perchJust a few0.6per gill net7"Typical10"Biggest
Lengths measured · 22 fish
Recent · 2016Lengths measured · 22 fish
2016Lengths measured · 23 fish
2006Lengths measured · 153 fish
1996Rock bassGood numbers1.3per trap net9"Typical10"Biggest
Lengths measured · 16 fish
Recent · 2016Lengths measured · 16 fish
2016Lengths measured · 19 fish
2006Lengths measured · 16 fish
1996Rates 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 Wynne 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. On a lake that drops to 52 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.
- 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 52 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 | Bluegill |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 27" | 35" | 8" |
| 2006 | 23" | 22" | 8" |
| 1996 | 19" | 23" | 9" |
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
Walleye · Jigs & bladed
Tail Spinner
Compact lead body with a free-spinning blade on the tail
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
Bluegill · Live bait
Clip-On Bobber + Worm
half to whole garden nightcrawler
Bluegill · Soft plastics
Tungsten Jig + Micro Plastic
1–1.5" micro plastic
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 2016 survey
Wynne Lake is a 278 acre lake located just northwest of the city of Biwabik. It is accessed by a ramp on the north end of the lake. It has a maximum depth of 52 feet and dark brown water. in August 2016, oxygen levels were adequate for fish to a depth of 27 feet.
Wynne Lake is relatively developed with year round and seasonal homes although many are set back from the lake shore with good natural riparian buffers. Lake bottom substrates along the shoreline are boulder/rubble, sand and gravel. Due to the riverine nature of Wynne Lake, the shoreline drops off quite quickly to deep water in much of the lake. Vegetation is fairly sparse and only grows in some of the shallowest areas of a few bays. The Embarrass River enters the lake on the north end and empties out the southwest corner. Fish may move between Wynne and Sabin Lake (upstream) through a narrows that is navigable by boat except in low flow periods.
Read the full DNR narrative
This standard survey consisted of gillnet and trapnet sets. This is the ninth fisheries investigation on Wynne Lake, the first dates back to 1973. Fish species sampled in gill nets were walleye, cisco, white sucker, northern pike, yellow perch, rock bass, and black crappie. Additional fish species sampled in trap nets were bluegill, yellow bullhead, and shorthead redhorse.
During the 2016 survey, 19 walleye were sampled in gill nets for a catch rate of 2.1 fish/net, which was low compared to other similar lakes but average for Wynne Lake. Walleye lengths ranged from 7 to 27 inches with an average just shy of 12 inches. The average weight per fish was 1 pound. Walleye growth was extremely slow compared to other lakes in the area. The average four year old walleye was just under 12 inches long. Ages ranged from 1 to 14 but nearly 90% of the fish were four years old or younger.
Walleye have not been stocked in Wynne Lake since 1989.
The northern pike gillnet catch was 0.7 fish/net which was tied for the lowest on record for the lake. Lengths ranged from 18 to 22 inches with an average of 20 inches. The average weight was just under two pounds.
Four black crappie were sampled, two in gill nets and two in trap nets. Lengths from all four fish ranged from to 5 to 12 inches. Three of the fish were larger than 9.5 inches.
Seven bluegill were sampled for a trapnet catch rate of 0.8 fish/net which was low compared to other similar lakes. Sizes were good however, with a range from just under 7 to just over 8 inches. The average weight was nearly a half a pound.
Cisco numbers in 2016 (1.1 fish/gill net) were on par with most of the previous surveys. Fish were small with an average weight of 1/10 of a pound and lengths ranging from 6 to 11 inches.
Other species sampled but in low numbers were yellow perch, white sucker, rock bass, shorthead redhorse, and yellow bullhead.
Some yellow perch were infested with yellow grub, but all the rest of the fish species appeared relatively clean.
Thirteen Rusty crayfish (Orconectes rusticus), an invasive species, were sampled for the first time in Wynne Lake.
Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.
Recent reports
Wynne Lake fishing reports
Recent reports on Wynne 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
- Wynne Lake (S) (trailer launch)
DNR bathymetry
Wynne Lake depth map
Within 30 miles
Nearby lakes
- Sabin Lake · 312 ac · 1.5 mi
- Sabin Lake · 156 ac · 1.8 mi
- Embarrass Lake · 463 ac · 2.5 mi
- St James Pit · 124 ac · 3.1 mi
- Canton Pit · 161 ac · 3.4 mi
- Cedar Lake · 32 ac · 4.8 mi
- Cedar Island Lake · 205 ac · 5.2 mi
- Colby Lake · 518 ac · 6.8 mi
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How deep is Wynne Lake?
Wynne Lake reaches 52 ft at its deepest point; about 25% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).
How big is Wynne Lake?
Wynne Lake covers 279 acres with about 6.2 miles of shoreline.
How clear is the water in Wynne Lake?
DNR Secchi readings on Wynne Lake average 4.5 ft of visibility, middling clarity for a Minnesota lake.
What fish are in Wynne Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2016) record walleye, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, rock bass.
Is Wynne Lake stocked?
No stocking is on record for Wynne Lake in the DNR's stocking database.
Does Wynne Lake have a public access?
Yes. Wynne Lake has one public access site: Wynne Lake (S) (trailer launch).
How big do walleye get in Wynne Lake?
The biggest walleye measured in recent DNR surveys taped 27"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 1996.
When was Wynne Lake last surveyed?
The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Wynne Lake in 2016, the most recent of 8 surveys on record. A survey that old is a starting point, not a current reading.
Page updated .
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