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11,749-acre lake near St. Louis County. The lake tops out around 150 ft. These contours are modeled — built from the real shoreline and the water's maximum depth — so read them as a guide, never as navigation. Every species below gets its seasonal read from the same numbers driving the chart.
Traced from the shoreline, Namakan runs 11,789 acres with 156.8 miles of edge, with 54 islands in the mix. A development index of 10.3 means a maze of bays and points: far more casting targets than a round bowl of the same size. Roughly 39% of the water is 15 ft or less as modeled, the band where the food chain lives. Call it 15.4 mi long by 7.2 mi wide at the broadest reach. The nearest mapped water is Namakan Lake, 4 mi to the east.
Come spring, look for lake whitefish tight to the bank in 15 to 45 ft. They move out to 40 to 90 ft in summer and finish the year down in 25 to 70 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Offshore hump: an offshore hump around 30 ft that scores prime in winter. Best bite is early morning. A blade bait vertical or a small jigging spoon is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 15 to 45 ft | midday & dawn | Offshore hump (30 ft) | Small jig + waxworm, Blade bait (small) |
| Summer | 40 to 90 ft | dawn | Sharp break (53 ft) | Blade bait vertical, Small jigging spoon |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | dusk | Offshore hump (30 ft) | Small spoon (gold), Jig + plastic larva |
| Winter | 25 to 70 ft | midday & dawn | Offshore hump (30 ft) | Jigging spoon + bead chain, Tungsten jig + waxie |
Come spring, look for cisco (lake herring) tight to the bank in 10 to 40 ft. They move out to 40 to 80 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 60 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Offshore hump: an offshore hump around 30 ft that scores prime in winter. Best bite is early morning. A vertical flutter spoon (small) or a drop-shot micro plastic is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Offshore hump (30 ft) | Small silver spoon, Tiny swim jig (white) |
| Summer | 40 to 80 ft | dawn | Sharp break (53 ft) | Vertical flutter spoon (small), Drop-shot micro plastic |
| Fall | 5 to 25 ft | dusk & dawn | Offshore hump (16 ft) | Small casting spoon, Inline spinner (silver) |
| Winter | 20 to 60 ft | dawn | Offshore hump (30 ft) | Small jigging spoon (glow/silver), Tungsten jig + minnow head |
Spring walleye on Namakan hold shallow, usually 4 to 15 ft. By summer they slide out to 15 to 35 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 40 ft. The chart's best answer is Offshore hump — offshore hump, 30 ft, prime for summer. Prime time lands in the evening and early morning. The summer box starts with a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled).
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | open water | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 15 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Offshore hump (30 ft) | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 12 to 40 ft | dusk & night | Main-lake point (38 ft) | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | dusk & dawn | Offshore hump (30 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Come spring, look for sauger tight to the bank in 4 to 18 ft. Expect a summer slide to 10 to 30 ft, then a winter hold in 15 to 45 ft. Start at Offshore hump. It's an offshore hump holding about 30 ft of water and rates prime come summer. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A bottom bouncer + crawler or a 3-way rig with stickbait is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 18 ft | dawn & dusk | open water | 3/8 oz jig + ringworm, Hair jig + minnow |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Offshore hump (30 ft) | Bottom bouncer + crawler, 3-way rig with stickbait |
| Fall | 12 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Offshore hump (30 ft) | Jig + big minnow, Blade bait |
| Winter | 15 to 45 ft | dusk | Sharp break (53 ft) | Heavy jigging spoon, Jig + minnow (vertical) |
Early season yellow perch use the shallows, holding in 3 to 12 ft. Summer is a 10 to 30 ft game here, winter a 15 to 35 ft one. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 6 ft, prime for 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 | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Offshore hump (30 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 12 to 35 ft | midday | Offshore hump (30 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Offshore hump (30 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
In spring, northern pike run shallow here, mostly 2 to 8 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 8 to 20 ft before dropping to 5 to 15 ft for winter. Spring northern pike concentrate at Shallow bay flat, a prime-rated weed flat around 6 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Namakan also holds smallmouth bass (10 to 30 ft in summer), rock bass (5 to 20 ft in summer), crappie (10 to 25 ft in summer), bluegill (4 to 15 ft in summer), pumpkinseed (2 to 10 ft in summer), burbot (50 to 120 ft in summer), lake sturgeon (15 to 40 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
12 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 128 ft, is the deepest of them.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Minnesota waters are set by the Minnesota DNR — and special regulations can apply to Namakan specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Minnesota fishing regulations →
Namakan is about 150 ft (46 m) deep 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.
Anglers target lake whitefish, cisco (lake herring), walleye, sauger, yellow perch, northern pike, smallmouth bass, rock bass, crappie, bluegill, pumpkinseed, burbot, lake sturgeon on Namakan.
Offshore hump is the top-rated area: an offshore hump in about 30 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in summer. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.
For lake whitefish, 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.
Fishing on Namakan 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.
Namakan Lake 4 mi, MN/ON · Beast 4 mi · Unnamed (Ryan) 4 mi · Agnes 4 mi · Net 5 mi · Namakan Lake 5 mi, ON/MN · Cruiser 5 mi · Tooth 5 mi · Peary 5 mi · Brown 6 mi · Ek 6 mi · Fishmouth 6 mi
See how Namakan stacks up: best smallmouth bass lakes in Minnesota · best walleye lakes in Minnesota · best sauger lakes in Minnesota · best northern pike lakes in Minnesota
Browse all Minnesota fishing maps. See every water on DepthScout. 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.