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Fishing Murphy: what the data says
313-acre lake near Otter Tail County. The lake tops out around 30 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Cisco (Lake Herring) fishing at Murphy
In spring, cisco (lake herring) run shallow here, mostly 8 to 30 ft. Summer fish stay in 9 to 30 ft, and winter fish hold in 9 to 30 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 26 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning. Summer baits: a vertical flutter spoon (small) or a drop-shot micro plastic gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 8 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Small silver spoon, Tiny swim jig (white) |
| Summer | 9 to 30 ft | dawn | Vertical flutter spoon (small), Drop-shot micro plastic |
| Fall | 5 to 25 ft | dusk & dawn | Small casting spoon, Inline spinner (silver) |
| Winter | 9 to 30 ft | dawn | Small jigging spoon (glow/silver), Tungsten jig + minnow head |
Walleye fishing at Murphy
In spring, walleye run shallow here, mostly 4 to 15 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 9 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 9 to 30 ft. Shoreline break is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 14 ft, rated prime for fall walleye. Best bite is 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 | 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 |
Yellow Perch fishing at Murphy
Spring yellow perch on Murphy hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 9 to 30 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 4 ft, rated prime for spring yellow perch. In summer the feeding windows fall in 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) |
Northern Pike fishing at Murphy
Start shallow in spring: northern pike sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 15 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 4 ft that scores prime in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage gets it done.
| 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 Murphy
In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 9 to 30 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 4 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. 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 | 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 |
Crappie fishing at Murphy
Spring crappie on Murphy hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 10 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 9 to 30 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 26 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in winter. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 9 to 30 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Murphy also holds bluegill (4 to 15 ft in summer), pumpkinseed (2 to 10 ft in summer), brown bullhead (3 to 12 ft in summer), common carp (3 to 15 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 26 ft
- Shoreline break: drop-off, around 14 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 4 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 4 ft
Common questions
How deep is Murphy?
Murphy is about 30 ft at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
What fish are in Murphy?
Anglers target largemouth bass, walleye, northern pike, crappie, bluegill, yellow perch, common carp, cisco (lake herring), pumpkinseed, brown bullhead on Murphy.
Where is the best fishing spot on Murphy?
Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 26 ft of water that rates prime for cisco (lake herring) in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Murphy?
For cisco (lake herring), the summer bite is best in 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
Silver · Fischer · Rice · Wimer · Jim · Town
See how Murphy stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Minnesota · best walleye lakes in Minnesota · best northern pike lakes in Minnesota · best crappie lakes in Minnesota
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