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300-acre lake near Rice County. The lake tops out around 8 ft. Contours on this water are modeled from its actual shoreline and max depth. Good for finding likely water, never for navigation. The rest of this page walks each species through its year, using the map's own scoring.
Phelps maps at 300 acres behind 2.8 miles of shoreline. The basin is a simple one (shoreline index 1.2) — close to a bowl, so the structure on the chart matters more than the bank. The whole water is littoral — nothing here runs deeper than ~15 ft, so it's all weed-and-bait territory. The basin spans about 0.8 mi end to end and 0.8 mi across at its widest. Rice County claims this one. Cody sits 1 mi northeast — the closest neighbouring chart.
Spring puts walleye in skinny water — 2 to 8 ft is the zone. Summer fish stay in 2 to 8 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 8 ft. Fall walleye concentrate at Break off the point, a prime-rated drop-off around 4 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around the evening and early morning. A crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (8 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 2 to 8 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (4 ft) | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 2 to 8 ft | dusk & night | Break off the point (4 ft) | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 2 to 8 ft | dusk & dawn | Deep basin (7 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Start shallow in spring: yellow perch sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. They don't go far with the seasons — 2 to 8 ft covers summer, 2 to 8 ft covers winter. 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. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning. Throw a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 2 to 8 ft | dawn | Deep basin (7 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 2 to 8 ft | midday | Deep basin (7 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (7 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Come spring, look for northern pike tight to the bank in 2 to 8 ft. Through summer count on 2 to 8 ft; the winter hold is 2 to 8 ft. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 3 ft of water and rates prime come spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 2 to 8 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 2 to 8 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
When the water first warms, largemouth bass slide up into 2 to 8 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 2 to 8 ft, winter 2 to 8 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 3 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 2 to 8 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (8 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 2 to 8 ft | midday | Break off the point (4 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Come spring, look for crappie tight to the bank in 2 to 8 ft. Through summer count on 2 to 8 ft; the winter hold is 2 to 8 ft. Start at Deep basin. It's a deep basin holding about 7 ft of water and rates prime come winter. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 2 to 8 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 2 to 8 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 2 to 8 ft | midday | Deep basin (7 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
When the water first warms, bluegill slide up into 1 to 6 ft. Summer is a 2 to 8 ft game here, winter a 2 to 8 ft one. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 3 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 2 to 8 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 2 to 8 ft | midday | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 2 to 8 ft | midday | Deep basin (7 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Phelps also holds pumpkinseed (2 to 8 ft in summer), common carp (2 to 8 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
The chart marks 6 structure features on Phelps; the deepest is Main-lake point at about 8 ft.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Minnesota waters are set by the Minnesota DNR — and special regulations can apply to Phelps specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Minnesota fishing regulations →
Phelps is about 8 ft (2 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 walleye, yellow perch, northern pike, largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, pumpkinseed, common carp on Phelps.
Break off the point is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in fall. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.
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.
Fishing on Phelps 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.
Cody 1 mi · Pepin 5 mi · Shields 7 mi · Greenleaf 7 mi · Mazaska 8 mi · Dora 8 mi · Circle 8 mi · Rice 9 mi · Hunt 9 mi · Volney 9 mi · Cedar 9 mi · Union 9 mi
See how Phelps stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Minnesota · best walleye lakes in Minnesota · best northern pike lakes in Minnesota · best crappie lakes in Minnesota
More water nearby: Rice County fishing maps (20 charts). Browse all Minnesota fishing maps or 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.