Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
292-acre lake near Becker County. The lake tops out around 5 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.
Start shallow in spring: walleye sit in 1 to 5 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 2 to 5 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 5 ft. Break off the point is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 5 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 | 1 to 5 ft | dusk & dawn | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 2 to 5 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 2 to 5 ft | dusk & night | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 2 to 5 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
In spring, northern pike run shallow here, mostly 1 to 5 ft. Summer fish stay in 2 to 5 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 5 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for spring northern pike. In summer the feeding windows fall in 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 | 1 to 5 ft | midday & dawn | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 2 to 5 ft | dawn & dusk | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 2 to 5 ft | midday & dawn | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 2 to 5 ft | midday | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 1 to 5 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 2 to 5 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 5 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 5 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 2 to 5 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 1 to 5 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 2 to 5 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Spring yellow perch on Stinking hold shallow, usually 1 to 5 ft. Summer fish stay in 2 to 5 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 5 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for spring yellow perch. Plan around early morning in the warm months. A drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 5 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 2 to 5 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 2 to 5 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 2 to 5 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
In spring, bluegill run shallow here, mostly 1 to 5 ft. Summer fish stay in 1 to 5 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 5 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for spring bluegill. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 5 ft | midday & dusk | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 1 to 5 ft | dawn & dusk | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 2 to 5 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 2 to 5 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
How deep is Stinking?
Stinking is about 5 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 Stinking?
Anglers target largemouth bass, walleye, northern pike, bluegill, yellow perch on Stinking.
Where is the best fishing spot on Stinking?
Break off the point is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 5 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 Stinking?
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.
Lime · Sand · West LaBelle · Axberg · East LaBelle · Knudson
See how Stinking stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Minnesota · best walleye lakes in Minnesota · best northern pike lakes in Minnesota · best bluegill 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.