Fishing

Does fishing have you hooked?
Whether you are a seasoned sport fisherman looking to win a tournament or simply want a weekend fishing getaway with your kids, Mankato has what you are looking for. The Mankato area has a little bit of everything when it comes to fishing. From shore, boat, kayak or canoe, you can cast your line into the areas many rivers, lakes and ponds. Cast away your troubles and drop your line in the Greater Mankato area.Whether you are looking to land a trophy walleye for your wall while fishing one of our many lakes, or enjoy a beautiful summer day on the boat making memories with your children, Mankato is the place to drop your line. We even offer an area high school fishing team and bow fishing at the right time of year.
There are a number of local hot spots in the area depending on what type of fish you are hoping to hook. Check out what some local experts say.

Tom Davis is a home grown National Professional Walleye Tournament angler and speaker with Ranger Boats, Evinrude Motors, Humminbird and Minn-Kota, making him a local fishing expert. Tom says, “Southern Minnesota has some of the best fishing opportunities found anywhere in our state. Walleye, bass, pike, and panfish, to blue gills, crappies and perch are all very abundant. Because our southern Minnesota lakes are rich in nutrition, the fish grow very fast, and all make excellent table fare. Many of our lakes like Lake Washington, Madison Lake, Duck Lake, Ballantyne, Francis, and the Jefferson Chain of Lakes all have very nice boat ramp accesses. If you don’t have a boat, no problem as many of our lakes have public docks you can use for fishing. The public docks on the lakes make fishing very accessible for all ages and most all are handicap accessible.”

“Don’t forget that the Mankato area also has a very abundant river system like the Minnesota and Blue Earth River with very good fishing access to both rivers located at Sibley Park. You also have great fishing upstream from Sibley Park on the Blue Earth River just downstream from the Rapidan Dam with a very nice campground nearby. Other rivers include the Maple, Cobb and LeSueur. All of the rivers offer excellent fishing from shore, canoe, kayak or small boats”, says Davis.

“Mankato has many fishing opportunities for all ages and types of fishing. You can also gather more information with up to date fishing reports from Paul Beinke at Walt’s Bait and Tackle in Mankato and from Nate and Jesse Green at Corner Bait and Tackle in Madison Lake.”

For anglers visiting in spring, Seven Mile Creek between Mankato and St. Peter offers scenic Brown Trout fishing.

The ponds at Paul’s Creek near St. Peter offer great rainbow trout fishing each spring when they are stocked in the thousands by the DNR, creating a truly unique fishing experience.

To find more information on a local lake, you can use  LakeFinder  from the Minnesota DNR where you’ll find lake maps, water depths, species of fish and much more. 

Below you’ll find information to help you plan your fishing adventure. We’ve compiled everything you need to make your trip a success. Whether you need gear from a local supplier, advice from an expert, or some bait before hitting the water, we have you covered. 

Local Hot Spots

Blue Earth River, Minnesota River, Below Rapidan Dam, Lake Washington, Madison Lake, Duck Lake, Lake Elysian, Lake Frances, Red Jacket Valley Lake, Indian Lake, Le Sueur River, Hiniker Pond, Swan Lake, Loon Lake, Spring Lake Park, St. Peter Pond, Seven Mile Creek for trout. 

Below are the different species of fish found in local lakes.

black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bullheads, channel catfish, crappie, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, sunfish, walleye, white bass, white crappie, yellow bullhead, yellow perch, bigmouth buffalo, bowfin (dogfish), common carp, freshwater drum, highfin carpsucker, longnose gar, river carpsucker, shortnose gar, white sucker, bluntnose minnow, emerald shiner, fathead minnow, gizzard shad, golden shiner, Iowa darter, Johnny darter, logperch, minnows, spottail shiner
black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white crappie, yellow bullhead, yellow perch, bigmouth buffalo, bowfin (dogfish), common carp, freshwater drum, highfin carpsucker, white sucker, bluntnose minnow, golden shiner, Johnny darter, spottail shiner
black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white bass, white crappie, yellow bullhead, yellow perch, bigmouth buffalo, bowfin (dogfish), common carp, white sucker, darters, fathead minnow, golden shiner, Iowa darter, minnows, spottail shiner, tadpole madtom
black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, sauger, walleye, white crappie, yellow bullhead, yellow perch, bigmouth buffalo, bowfin (dogfish), common carp, freshwater drum, smallmouth buffalo, bluntnose minnow, emerald shiner, golden shiner, Johnny darter, spottail shiner
black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white bass, white crappie, yellow bullhead, yellow perch, bowfin (dogfish), common carp, freshwater drum, white sucker, banded killifish, blackchin shiner, bluntnose minnow, golden shiner, Iowa darter, Johnny darter, mimic shiner, pugnose shiner, spottail shiner
black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white crappie, yellow bullhead, yellow perch, common carp, white sucker, fathead minnow, golden shiner, Johnny darter

Contests & Tournaments

For those looking for a little competition, you may want to enter a local tournament. Many fishing tournaments are held throughout the region each year. The Minnesota DNR keeps a current list of those tournaments  here.  A list of local tournament are below.

January – Lake Crystal Ice Fishing ExtravaganzaLake Crystal 

February – Elysian Post 311 Ice Fishing Contest Lake Frances 

June – Minnesota Fishing Event for Life – Madison Lake 

July, August – Howie’s Southern Bass TourMadison Lake 

Boat and Fish House Rental/Local Guides

Looking to fish in the Mankato area but don’t have a boat? You’re in luck! Your Boat Club offers boat rental and is coming soon to Westwood Marina on Lake Washingtonand at The Landing on  Madison Lake. 

Corner Bait in Madison Lake is your go to place for fish house rentals, bait, guide services, or just to see what’s biting. The owner even plows roads on to Madison Lake so ice fishermen have easy access.

They can be reached at (507) 243-4464 or stop in at:

500 Walnut Avenue,
Madison Lake, MN 56063

Fishing Opener and Licenses

The 2023 Minnesota fishing opener is May 11-13th. Ice fishing in the area is dependent upon temperatures and ice thickness. For information on ice shelter licenses and removal dates, visit this DNR link

Fishing licenses are valid March 1 through February 28 of the following year and are available online through the DNR. Licenses are also available at select local businesses listed below. 

Have a friend or family member who isn’t sure about fishing? There are statewide free fishing weekends that occur periodically throughout the year including  take a kid fishing weekend. Stay tuned for 2023 dates! 

Resources

Scheels 
1850 Adams Street 
Mankato, MN 56001 
www.scheels.com
(507)-386-7767 

 

Fleet Farm 
1850 Premier Dr 
Mankato, MN 56001 
www.fleetfarm.com
(507) 345-6401 

 

Corner Bait in Madison Lake 
500 Walnut Ave 
Madison Lake, MN 56063 
www.facebook.com/cornerbait
(507) 243-4464 

 

Westwood Marina 
1400 Lake Washington Access Rd 
Kasota, MN 56050 
www.westwoodmarina.com
(507) 243-9998 

 

Bent River Outfitters 
530 N Riverfront Dr. B 
Mankato, MN 56001 
bentriveroutfitter.com
(507) 388-2368 

 

Walt’s Bait and Tackle 
1130 N River Dr. 
North Mankato, MN 56003 
waltsbaitshop.com
(507) 625-4872 

 

Johnson Outdoors and Minn Kota 
1531 Madison Ave 
Mankato, MN 56001 
www.johnsonoutdoors.com
(507) 345-4623

 

Alumacraft Boat Co. 
315 W St. Julien St. 
St Peter, MN 56082 
www.alumacraft.com
(507) 931-1050 

Eagle Express 
401 Parkway Ave 
Eagle Lake, MN 56024 
(507) 257-3230 

LC Ace 
106 S. Main St. 
Lake Crystal, MN 56055 
(507) 726-2829 

Corner Bait 
500 Walnut Ave. 
Madison Lake, MN 56063 
(507) 243-4464 

Fleet Farm 
1850 Premier Dr. 
Mankato, MN 56001 
(507) 345-6401 

Blue Earth County License Center 
410 S. 5th St. 
Mankato, MN 56002 
(507) 304-4456 

Holiday Stationstore #11 
1901 Adams St. 
Mankato, MN 56001 
(507) 387-5711 

Walmart Supercenter #1473 
1881 Madison Ave 
Mankato, MN 56001 
(507) 625-9318 

Holiday Stationstore #21 
1302 N. Riverfront Dr. 
Mankato, MN 56001 
(507) 388-6087 

Maple Mart 
407 Silver St. East 
Mapleton, MN 56065 
(507) 524-4400 

Courtland Hardware 
321 Main St. 
Courtland, MN 56021 
(507) 359-7811 

George’s City Meats 
430 3rd St. 
Nicollet, MN 56074 
(507) 232-3502 

Nicollet Mart 
220 Main St. 
Nicollet, MN 56074 
(507) 232-3232 

North Mankato Motor Vehicle 
310 Belgrade Ave 
North Mankato, MN 56003 
(507) 625-1586 

Arrow Ace Hardware 
201 S. Minnesota Ave 
St. Peter, MN 56082 
(507) 931-3830 

Speedway #4141 
123 Saint Julien St. 
St. Peter, MN 56082 
(507) 931-9477 

Nicollet County Treasurer 
501 S Minnesota Ave 
St. Peter, MN 56082 
(507) 931-6800 

Fishing at Greater Mankato Lake
en_USEnglish