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14,500-acre metro lake with dozens of bays; outstanding largemouth, pike and panfish water. The lake tops out around 100 ft. The depth data here comes from the Minnesota DNR survey of 1949, a decades-old survey (the DNR's original lake-survey map). Here's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
The outline encloses 14,184 acres, worked by 133.2 miles of shoreline, broken up by 47 islands. An index of 8 puts the bank firmly in maze territory: point after pocket after cove, every one a casting target. Roughly 47% of the water is 15 ft or less, the band where the food chain lives. End to end it runs roughly 11.1 mi, about 6.1 mi across. Hennepin County claims this one. Its nearest charted neighbour, Minnetonka-Crystal Bay, is 1 mi to the north.
Spring largemouth bass on Lake Minnetonka hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 35 ft. The chart's best answer is Cabbage bed (west upper lake) — weed flat, 2 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Cabbage bed (west upper lake) (2 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Big Island steep break (16 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Gravel point (south shore) (4 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Big Island steep break (16 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Early season northern pike use the shallows, holding in 2 to 8 ft. Expect a summer slide to 8 to 20 ft, then a winter hold in 5 to 15 ft. Put Cabbage bed (west upper lake) first on the milk run — a weed flat near 2 ft that grades prime for 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 | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Cabbage bed (west upper lake) (2 ft) | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep weedline edge (9 ft) | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Big Island steep break (16 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Weed flat (5 ft) | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Early season crappie use the shallows, holding in 2 to 8 ft. Expect a summer slide to 10 to 25 ft, then a winter hold in 15 to 35 ft. Put Fallen-tree shoreline first on the milk run — a standing timber / brush near 4 ft that grades prime for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Fallen-tree shoreline (4 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Big Island steep break (16 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Big Island steep break (16 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Big Island steep break (16 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Early season bluegill use the shallows, holding in 1 to 6 ft. Summer is a 4 to 15 ft game here, winter a 10 to 25 ft one. The chart's best answer is Cabbage bed (west upper lake) — weed flat, 2 ft, prime for spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Cabbage bed (west upper lake) (2 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep weedline edge (9 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Deep weedline edge (9 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Big Island steep break (16 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: walleye in 4 to 15 ft. As the season builds they drop to 15 to 35 ft, wintering in 20 to 40 ft. Top water on the chart: Mid-lake sunken island, an offshore hump in the 15 ft range, prime in summer. Time it for the evening and early morning. Summer baits: a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | Gravel point (south shore) (4 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 15 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Mid-lake sunken island (15 ft) | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 12 to 40 ft | dusk & night | Big Island steep break (16 ft) | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | dusk & dawn | Mid-lake sunken island (15 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Early season muskellunge use the shallows, holding in 3 to 12 ft. Summer is an 8 to 25 ft game here, winter a 15 to 35 ft one. The chart's best answer is Deep weedline edge — grass line, 9 ft, prime for summer. Best bite is the evening and early morning. Tie on a double-10 bucktail or a topwater (walk-the-dog / creeper) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | Weed flat (5 ft) | Smaller bucktail (#8 blades), 6" glide bait |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dusk & dawn | Deep weedline edge (9 ft) | Double-10 bucktail, Topwater (walk-the-dog / creeper) |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | midday & dusk | Big Island steep break (16 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), 10"+ glide bait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Big Island steep break (16 ft) | Large rubber, crawled slow |
Lake Minnetonka also holds pumpkinseed (2 to 10 ft in summer), brown bullhead (3 to 12 ft in summer), smallmouth bass (10 to 30 ft in summer), common carp (3 to 15 ft in summer), yellow perch (10 to 30 ft in summer), rock bass (5 to 20 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
The chart marks 24 structure features on Lake Minnetonka; the deepest is Deep hole (main basin) at about 82 ft.
Access data: MN DNR Water Access Sites (struc_water_access_sites), Minnesota Geospatial Commons. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
| Date | Species | Count | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025* | Muskellunge (yearlings) | 1,170 | — |
| 2025* | Walleye (yearlings) | 10,500 | — |
| 2024* | Muskellunge (yearlings) | 82 | — |
| 2024* | Muskellunge (fingerlings) | 2,515 | — |
| 2024* | Walleye (fingerlings) | 9,983 | — |
| 2024* | Walleye (fingerlings) | 9,246 | — |
| 2024* | Walleye (fingerlings) | 52,870 | — |
| 2024* | Walleye (fingerlings) | 25,200 | — |
* Approximate date (agency reports month or season only). Source: Minnesota DNR LakeFinder stocking reports, retrieved 2026-08-18.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Minnesota waters are set by the Minnesota DNR — and special regulations can apply to Lake Minnetonka specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Minnesota fishing regulations →
Lake Minnetonka is about 100 ft (30 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth data here comes from the Minnesota DNR survey of 1949, a decades-old survey (the DNR's original lake-survey map).
Anglers target largemouth bass, northern pike, crappie, bluegill, walleye, muskellunge, pumpkinseed, brown bullhead, smallmouth bass, common carp, yellow perch, rock bass on Lake Minnetonka.
Cabbage bed (west upper lake) is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.
For largemouth bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Yes — per Minnesota DNR LakeFinder stocking reports records, Lake Minnetonka was most recently stocked 2025 with 1,170 muskellunge (yearlings). The full stocking history is listed above.
Fishing on Lake Minnetonka is regulated by the Minnesota DNR. Check the official Minnesota regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Minnetonka-Crystal Bay 1 mi · Minnetonka-Black Lake 2 mi · Minnetonka-Maxwell Bay 2 mi · Minnetonka-Upper Lake 2 mi · Minnetonka-West Arm 3 mi · Minnetonka-St. Albans Bay 3 mi · Minnetonka-North Arm 3 mi · Tanager 3 mi · Forest 3 mi · Minnetonka-Stubbs Bay 3 mi · Minnetonka-Carsons Bay 3 mi · Minnetonka-Jennings Bay 3 mi
See how Lake Minnetonka 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
More water nearby: Hennepin County fishing maps (102 charts). Browse all Minnesota fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.