So. MN lakes

[Swamprat68]

Looking for decent fishing lakes for Northern & smallmouth in southern MN. Live in St. Louis MO, and would like to find a place to get to in less than a day. Ideally looking for less populated fishing lakes rather than high volume recreational lakes. Can anyone offer some suggestions?

[JBMasterAngler]

I would suggest the mississippi river backwaters. You might not even need to come all the way to MN, NE IA would provide the same fishing. I don't really know anything about the river downstream of wabasha, but there are miles and miles of backwater lakes that provide both largemouth and smallmouth fishing, pike, walleye, panfish, white bass, etc.

[itchmesir]

Don't know of any So. MN lakes that will have smallies..most of the lakes down here are too warm for smallies... your best bet is the Mississippi like others have said.. Check out Pool 7.. LaCrosse, WI area..

Also take a gander at the Root River.. good smallie water.. with a mix of trout and other native suckers and redhorse

[Swamprat68]

Thanks, JB. I've shied away from the Miss. because of how bad it is in STL, but I've had enough people suggest it, I might give it a try.

Thanks again.

[itchmesir]

The mississippi by STL is nothing like the Mississippi north of Prairie Du Chein...

Funny thing.. A buddy of mine.. who's originally from the StL area.. had a friend come up about a month ago because he wanted to catch some big pike.. Had no idea that you guys really didn't have any down there... figured you guys did since the Busch WMA ponds were stocked with muskie and pike.. but I guess that's really the only area for ya'll

[Agronomist_at_IA]

Looking for decent fishing lakes for Northern & smallmouth in southern MN. Live in St. Louis MO, and would like to find a place to get to in less than a day. Ideally looking for less populated fishing lakes rather than high volume recreational lakes. Can anyone offer some suggestions?

If you are looking for a place that has some Smouth Mouths and Pike, you might want to check out Spirt Lake of the Iowa Great Lakes. I usually catch a Small Mouths & pike draging spinners over the rock piles for walleye. Seems to be a decent population of Small Mouths and some fairly big pike.

[fishdog]

I suggest the CEDAR RIVER IN AUSTIN MN, lots of big smallies south of town and northern's are also very abundunt in river. austin is 20 miles east of I-35 and is near MN/iowa boarder. the cedar river has just been added to MN DNRs HSOforum for desenated rivers and their HSOforum has river maps and lots of info.