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Fishing Elk: what the data says
356-acre lake near Sherburne County. The lake tops out around 5 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 Elk
Start shallow in spring: walleye sit in 1 to 5 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 2 to 5 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 5 ft. The spot to know is Break off the point, a drop-off in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in the evening and early morning. Tie on a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 5 ft | dusk & dawn | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 2 to 5 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 2 to 5 ft | dusk & night | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 2 to 5 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Northern Pike fishing at Elk
In spring, northern pike run shallow here, mostly 1 to 5 ft. Summer fish stay in 2 to 5 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 5 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for northern pike in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 5 ft | midday & dawn | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 2 to 5 ft | dawn & dusk | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 2 to 5 ft | midday & dawn | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 2 to 5 ft | midday | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Elk
Spring largemouth bass on Elk hold shallow, usually 1 to 5 ft. Summer fish stay in 2 to 5 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 5 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 5 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 2 to 5 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 1 to 5 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 2 to 5 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Yellow Perch fishing at Elk
Spring yellow perch on Elk hold shallow, usually 1 to 5 ft. Summer fish stay in 2 to 5 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 5 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in spring. Best bite is early morning. Tie on a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 5 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 2 to 5 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 2 to 5 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 2 to 5 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Bluegill fishing at Elk
Start shallow in spring: bluegill sit in 1 to 5 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 1 to 5 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 5 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for bluegill 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 5 ft | midday & dusk | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 1 to 5 ft | dawn & dusk | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 2 to 5 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 2 to 5 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Elk
Start shallow in spring: smallmouth bass sit in 1 to 5 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 2 to 5 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 5 ft. The spot to know is Main-lake point, a point in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in fall. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 5 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 2 to 5 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 2 to 5 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 2 to 5 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Elk also holds crappie (2 to 5 ft in summer), common carp (1 to 5 ft in summer), pumpkinseed (1 to 5 ft in summer), rock bass (1 to 5 ft in summer), brown bullhead (1 to 5 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 5 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 5 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 3 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Elk?
Elk is about 5 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 Elk?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, northern pike, crappie, bluegill, yellow perch, common carp, rock bass, pumpkinseed, brown bullhead on Elk.
Where is the best fishing spot on Elk?
Break off the point is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in fall. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Elk?
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
Rush · Briggs · Camp · Julia · Masford · Unnamed
See how Elk stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Minnesota · best smallmouth bass lakes in Minnesota · best walleye lakes in Minnesota · best northern pike 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.