Fishing is a great opportunity for recreation in Kandiyohi County for locals and visitors alike. With so many lakes, ponds, streams and the Crow River, the opportunities for angling enthusiasts are nearly endless.
Game fish found in Kandiyohi County Lakes include Sunfish, Crappie, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye and Northern Pike making the Willmar Lakes Area a popular Minnesota fishing destination.
Find a Bait Shop Explore Our Lakes
Fishing Reports
Fishing Report for 8-21-23
Few anglers have been out lately. With the recent heat wave, surface water temperatures have bounced back so the best time to fish has been in the low light hours; early mornings and evenings. The walleye bite has picked up on Big Kandiyohi Lake in the 16-20 foot range with crawlers or leeches working the best. Sunfish, bass, and northern pike are biting on most area lakes when anglers use a small jig or spinner rig tipped with a night crawler in the weed lines. Crappie have been biting on…
Fishing Report for 8-8-23
Summer fishing patterns are holding strong for many species of fish in the Willmar Lakes Area. Anglers should concentrate on the deeper weedlines to find the most active daytime walleye. Anglers utilizing crank baits or jigs with crawlers in 10-15 feet of water are seeing the most action. Many walleye are also being caught at night while trolling. The largemouth and smallmouth bass bite has been excellent on many area lakes in the 15-20 foot depths. Northern pike remain fairly deep, responding to slowly-rolled big spoons worked at slower speeds,…
Fishing Report for 7-27-23
The fishing bite has slowed down a bit with the hot temperatures. Most fish have moved deeper to stay cool. When fishing on Foot Lake or Nest Lake, stick near the culverts for the best action. You’ll find sunfish in the weedlines around the 15-17 foot depth on Diamond Lake. The bass have been eagerly biting on Eagle Lake as well as Point Lake around the 17 foot depth. Large sunfish have also been pulled from Point Lake in the past week. When looking for walleye, try trolling rapalas in…
Fishing Report for 7-17-23
Anglers continue to report active fish on area lakes. The walleye bite has been fair to good for anglers trolling harnesses along the weed edges, with some deeper fish on the rocks responding to live bait rigs and snap-jigging. A consistent night bite is being reported along the weedlines. Northern pike remain very aggressive along the shoreline breaks. The crappie and sunfish continue to bite on spinner rigs and jigs with plastics worked over the weeds in 9-15 feet of water. Lakes to consider this week include Big Kandiyohi, Diamond,…
Fishing Report for 7-5-23
Summer fishing is heating up in the Willmar Lakes Area with anglers reporting active fish on a variety of lakes. Most fish have moved toward cooler, deeper waters so anglers fishing from a boat are having the most success. Those in search of walleye are finding them in the 15-25 foot depths on Eagle, Nest, Big Kandiyohi and Diamond lakes. Most success has come from using leeches or nightcrawlers on spinner rigs or lindy rigs during early morning and evening hours. Sunfish continue to be pulled from Lake Calhoun and…
Fishing Report for 6-20-23
It’s been another great week for fishing in the Willmar Lakes Area! On Eagle Lake, anglers are pulling sunfish off the east side with worms and leeches using ice fishole lures. On the north side they are catching smallmouth bass using spinner bait. Over on Diamond Lake, sunfish and crappies have been active on the north and west sides when using minnows and northerns on the east side using shad raps that look like crawfish. Fishermen are pulling sunfish, crappie and bass from the northside of Elkhorn Lake and in…
Fishing Report for 6-13-23
It’s been another great week for fishing in the Willmar Lakes Area! Large and smallmouth bass have been eager to bite using Rapala around 10 foot depths in Eagle Lake. Some anglers are still pulling walleye and crappie using crawlers from Eagle Lake as well. Norway Lake has been hot for walleye and largemouth bass using leeches. Long Lake is a great place to catch those walleye this week using fathead minnows. Active panfish are still being pulled from under the Nest Lake bridge as well as along the weedlines…
Fishing Report for 6-6-23
It’s a great time for fishing in the Willmar Lakes Area as the spring frenzy has hit! Water temperatures are sitting around 69 degrees on some lakes. Diamond Lake has been great for northerns on shad raps on the west side as well as bass and walleye. North Long Lake has been good for northerns in the 5-10 foot depths using a shallow running jig. Walleye have been found in the 5-10 foot depths on Solomon Lake, also using a shallow running jig. The east side of Eagle Lake has…
Fishing Report for 5-23-23
Anglers have been pulling walleye from Nest Lake and Diamond Lake using leeches. Active crappie have been found on Long Lake and Lake Florida using crawlers and waxworms. The walleye and crappie are starting to be more active in the shallows on Willmar, Foot, Andrew, and Eagle lakes. Bass are also starting to become more active by the inlet on Eagle Lake. The best spots to shore fish right now are along the highway on Ringo Lake, off the pier on Foot Lake, off the fishing pier on Games Lake,…
Fishing Report for 5-16-23
Last weekend was packed full of fishing action in the Willmar Lakes Area! Walleye action remains high around sunset and sunrise when using spot tail shiners. Popular walleye lakes this past week included Foot, Willmar, Long, Big Kandiyohi, Norway and Ringo. Nice sized crappie have been pulled from South Long Lake and Ringo Lake near the shallows as well as from shore on Foot Lake near the fairgrounds. Sunfish have been eager to bite on Lake Calhoun when using night crawlers and sucker minnows in the morning hours near the…
Fishing Report for 5-9-23
Anglers are starting to enjoy some open water fishing and continue to catch good numbers of panfish. When looking for walleye this weekend, stick to the shallow lakes such as Calhoun, East Solomon, Elizabeth, Lillian, Norway, Ringo, Willmar and Foot lakes. Don’t forget to stop by our local bait shops to get your 2023 fishing license before the walleye season begins! *** Sunray’s Bait and Tackle will open at 05:30am on Fishing Opener***
Fishing Report for 4-11-23
Not many anglers have been out lately. Those that have made it out are catching sunfish with waxworms on Lake Florida and Green Lake. As always, ice conditions can be unpredictable at times so check with the local bait shops for current conditions before going out on the ice. This week’s weather is looking promising for a lot of melting. Let’s all cross our fingers.