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Fishing Bowstring: what the data says
9,508-acre lake near Itasca County. The lake tops out around 30 ft. The depth chart is built from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Walleye fishing at Bowstring
Start shallow in spring: walleye sit in 4 to 15 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 9 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 9 to 30 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Gravel shoal: a gravel shoal around 4 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in the evening and early morning. A crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 9 to 30 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 9 to 30 ft | dusk & night | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 9 to 30 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Northern Pike fishing at Bowstring
Start shallow in spring: northern pike sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 15 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for northern pike in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Bowstring
In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 9 to 30 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 2 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 9 to 30 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Yellow Perch fishing at Bowstring
Start shallow in spring: yellow perch sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 9 to 30 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Back-bay flat: a weed flat around 3 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning. A drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 9 to 30 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 9 to 30 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Bluegill fishing at Bowstring
Start shallow in spring: bluegill sit in 1 to 6 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 4 to 15 ft, and by winter most fish are in 10 to 25 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 2 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Rock Bass fishing at Bowstring
Spring rock bass on Bowstring hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 5 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 12 to 30 ft. The spot to know is Gravel shoal, a gravel shoal in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for rock bass in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in the evening. Summer baits: a ned rig (small) or a marabou jig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + grub, Small inline spinner |
| Summer | 5 to 20 ft | dusk | Ned rig (small), Marabou jig |
| Fall | 8 to 22 ft | midday | Small tube jig, Inline spinner |
| Winter | 12 to 30 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + plastic, Small spoon + spike |
Bowstring also holds pumpkinseed (2 to 10 ft in summer), crappie (10 to 25 ft in summer), burbot (9 to 30 ft in summer), brown bullhead (3 to 12 ft in summer), lake whitefish (9 to 30 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 30 ft
- Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 20 ft
- Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 20 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 15 ft
- Gravel shoal: gravel shoal, around 4 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 4 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 4 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 3 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
- Gravel shoal: gravel shoal, around 3 ft
- Weed flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 2 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
- Weed flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Bowstring?
Bowstring is about 30 ft at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
What fish are in Bowstring?
Anglers target largemouth bass, walleye, northern pike, crappie, bluegill, yellow perch, lake whitefish, burbot, rock bass, pumpkinseed, brown bullhead on Bowstring.
Where is the best fishing spot on Bowstring?
Gravel shoal is the top-rated area: a gravel shoal in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Bowstring?
For walleye, the summer bite is best in the evening and early morning. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
Portage · Bird's Eye · Little Jessie · Sand · Little Spring · Jessie
See how Bowstring stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Minnesota · best walleye lakes in Minnesota · best northern pike lakes in Minnesota · best crappie lakes in Minnesota
Browse all Minnesota fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.