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Fishing Pickeral: what the data says
593-acre lake near Freeborn County. The lake tops out around 4 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 Pickeral
Spring walleye on Pickeral hold shallow, usually 1 to 4 ft. Summer fish stay in 1 to 4 ft, and winter fish hold in 1 to 4 ft. The spot to know is Break off the point, a drop-off in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in fall. Plan around the evening and early morning in the warm months. A crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 4 ft | dusk & dawn | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 1 to 4 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 1 to 4 ft | dusk & night | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 1 to 4 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Northern Pike fishing at Pickeral
Spring northern pike on Pickeral hold shallow, usually 1 to 4 ft. Summer fish stay in 1 to 4 ft, and winter fish hold in 1 to 4 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for northern pike in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 4 ft | midday & dawn | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 1 to 4 ft | dawn & dusk | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 1 to 4 ft | midday & dawn | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 1 to 4 ft | midday | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Pickeral
In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 1 to 4 ft. Summer fish stay in 1 to 4 ft, and winter fish hold in 1 to 4 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in 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 4 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 1 to 4 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 1 to 4 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 1 to 4 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Yellow Perch fishing at Pickeral
In spring, yellow perch run shallow here, mostly 1 to 4 ft. Summer fish stay in 1 to 4 ft, and winter fish hold in 1 to 4 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 2 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning. Summer baits: a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 4 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 1 to 4 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 1 to 4 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 1 to 4 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Bluegill fishing at Pickeral
Spring bluegill on Pickeral hold shallow, usually 1 to 4 ft. Summer fish stay in 1 to 4 ft, and winter fish hold in 1 to 4 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for bluegill in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 4 ft | midday & dusk | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 1 to 4 ft | dawn & dusk | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 1 to 4 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 1 to 4 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Crappie fishing at Pickeral
Start shallow in spring: crappie sit in 1 to 4 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 1 to 4 ft, and winter fish hold in 1 to 4 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 4 ft that scores prime in winter. 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 | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 4 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 1 to 4 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 1 to 4 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 1 to 4 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Pickeral also holds common carp (1 to 4 ft in summer), channel catfish (1 to 4 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 4 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 3 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 2 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 2 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Pickeral?
Pickeral is about 4 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 Pickeral?
Anglers target largemouth bass, walleye, northern pike, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, yellow perch, common carp on Pickeral.
Where is the best fishing spot on Pickeral?
Break off the point is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 3 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 Pickeral?
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
White · Fountain (West Bay) · Fountain (East Bay) · School Section · Albert Lea · Morin
See how Pickeral stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Minnesota · best walleye lakes in Minnesota · best northern pike lakes in Minnesota · best crappie 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.