Namakan Lake

Air

29°F

Wind

0 mph

Sky

Mostly Sunny

Pressure

30.35 inHgSteady (+0.7 hPa in 3 h)

National Weather Service hourly forecast; pressure from station KCDD at 6:13 AM CT.

Namakan Lake covers 24,066 acres and is 150 ft at its deepest. These are the sport fish DNR surveys found here, and what each typically does in October in Minnesota lakes.

• WalleyeFall walleye feed heavily on rocky points and breaklines; dusk and after dark are often best.
• SaugerFall sauger school in deep water and feed heavily before winter.
• Northern pikeFall pike feed heavily along the last green weeds and drop-offs.
• Smallmouth bassFall smallmouth school on deep rocky structure and feed before moving to wintering areas.
• CrappieFall crappies school tightly in deeper basins and feed actively.
• BluegillFall bluegill move toward deeper weed edges and feed actively.
• Yellow perchFall perch school on deep flats and feed heavily.
• Lake troutLake trout spawn on rocky reefs in fall.
• BurbotAs the water cools, burbot become more active along the bottom.

Namakan Lake is a border water shared with Canada, so its seasons and limits follow the DNR's border-water regulations rather than the statewide inland seasons. Check current regulations.

The DNR lists special fishing regulations for Namakan Lake; check them on its LakeFinder page before you go.

Species found in Minnesota DNR fish surveys of Namakan Lake in the last 10 years or its latest survey (September 22, 2025).

• WalleyeSpawns over gravel and rock in the shallows soon after ice-out, peaking in 42–50°F water; in summer it holds deeper and feeds in the shallows at dawn and dusk.
• SaugerShares the walleye's habits but sees even better in dark or murky water, which keeps it in big rivers and stained lakes.
• Northern pikeSpawns in flooded, weedy shallows right after ice-out and keeps feeding in cold water, so it bites from spring through ice season.
• Smallmouth bassNests on gravel and rock in late spring and stays around rocky points, reefs and current through summer.
• Black crappieSpawns in May and June in shallow water in the mid-60s °F; schools roam open water and feed most at night, dawn and dusk.
• BluegillNests in colonies in firm-bottomed shallows from late May through much of summer, in 67–80°F water; bigger fish feed in open water.
• PumpkinseedNests in colonies from May well into summer, often beside bluegill, and feeds heavily on snails.
• Yellow perchSpawns in early spring, draping egg ribbons over weeds and brush, and bites eagerly on worms all year, including through the ice.
• Rock bassNests over gravel near rocks and logs in late spring and stays close to rocky cover all summer.
• Lake troutLives in deep, cold, clear northern lakes; it comes shallow after ice-out and in late fall and stays deep while the surface is warm.
• BurbotA freshwater cousin of the cod that spawns under the ice in mid to late winter, when anglers catch most of them.
• Lake sturgeonA long-lived fish that spawns in spring over rocky river rapids and feeds along the bottom.

Also found

• Black bullhead
• Cisco species
• Lake whitefish
• Rainbow smelt
• Redhorse
• White sucker