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Fishing Red Lake River Reservoir: what the data says
91-acre lake near Pennington County. The lake tops out around 15 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 Red Lake River Reservoir
Start shallow in spring: walleye sit in 4 to 15 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 5 to 15 ft, and winter fish hold in 5 to 15 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Break off the point: a drop-off around 6 ft that scores prime in fall. Best bite is the evening and early morning. A crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 5 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 5 to 15 ft | dusk & night | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Northern Pike fishing at Red Lake River Reservoir
Start shallow in spring: northern pike sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 5 to 15 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 15 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 4 ft, rated prime for spring northern pike. Best bite is 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 | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 5 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 5 to 15 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 Red Lake River Reservoir
In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 5 to 15 ft in summer and finish the year down 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. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 5 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Yellow Perch fishing at Red Lake River Reservoir
Spring yellow perch on Red Lake River Reservoir hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 5 to 15 ft, and winter fish settle into 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. Best bite is 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 | 5 to 15 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Bluegill fishing at Red Lake River Reservoir
Spring bluegill on Red Lake River Reservoir hold shallow, usually 1 to 6 ft. By summer they slide out to 4 to 15 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 15 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for bluegill in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. 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 6 ft | midday & dusk | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Brown Bullhead fishing at Red Lake River Reservoir
Start shallow in spring: brown bullhead sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. They move out to 3 to 12 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 15 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 15 ft, rated prime for winter brown bullhead. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | dusk & night | |
| Summer | 3 to 12 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 5 to 15 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday |
Red Lake River Reservoir also holds crappie (5 to 15 ft in summer), common carp (3 to 15 ft in summer), rock bass (4 to 15 ft in summer), pumpkinseed (2 to 10 ft in summer), smallmouth bass (5 to 15 ft in summer), channel catfish (5 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 15 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 6 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 5 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 4 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 4 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
Common questions
How deep is Red Lake River Reservoir?
Red Lake River Reservoir is about 15 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 Red Lake River Reservoir?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, northern pike, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, yellow perch, common carp, rock bass, pumpkinseed, brown bullhead on Red Lake River Reservoir.
Where is the best fishing spot on Red Lake River Reservoir?
Break off the point is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 6 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 Red Lake River Reservoir?
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
Thief · Maple · Badger · Cameron · Sarah · Union
See how Red Lake River Reservoir 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
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.