Mille Lacs Lake is a large lake in Minnesota, located a few miles north of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. Covering 132,516 acres and reaching a depth of 42 feet, it is Minnesota’s second largest lake. It is a popular location for ice fishing, particularly at the southern end. In recent winters, the number of ice fishing houses on the lake has exceeded five thousand. The lake is usually frozen over by Thanksgiving, but it is not advised to start Mille Lacs ice fishing before the first week of December due to the unpredictability of the thickness of the ice. By December, the ice can sometimes be as thick as three feet. Ice fishing activity usually ends around the beginning of March.
The greatest attraction of Mille Lacs Lake is the wide variety of fish species that thrive in its waters, including walleye, northern pike, muskie, jumbo perch, smallmouth bass, and tullibee. The lake is especially known for a very high abundance of walleye, and has even been called the “Walleye Capital of the World.” Between two hundred thousand and four hundred thousand walleye are landed on Mille Lacs every year.
The Mille Lacs Area Tourism Council provides some services to ice fishermen. Roads are plowed across the lake to allow easy access to the best ice fishing locations, and ice fishing houses can be rented in half day increments. These ice fishing houses range from the most basic shelter to multi-room suites with luxurious furnishings, such as gas heaters, cook stoves, furniture, sleeping quarters, and toilet facilities. A number of ice fishing packages are also available from the Mille Lacs Area Tourism Council. The packages can include a variety of services, including overnight lodging on land, transportation to and from the ice fishing site, and ice fishing equipment.
Besides the Mille Lacs Area Tourism Council, there are many businesses around Mille Lacs Lake that offer ice fishing services. There are dozens of places to rent any kind of ice fishing gear, from ice fishing rods to shanties. There are also guides in the area who will help you find the best places on the lake for the kind of fish you are trying to catch. These are experienced fishermen who know the area and can provide some excellent tips for beginning anglers. For post-fishing relaxation, there are also a number of restaurants, bars, and resorts along the lake’s shore.
The water in Mille Lacs Lake is relatively clean, with minimal levels harmful pollutants, so for the general population it is considered safe to eat any amount of any species of fish from the lake. Unfortunately, many inland bodies of fresh water in North America are polluted to some extent, so even the fish in the relatively clean ones such as Mille Lacs Lake are not safe to eat under certain circumstances. Pregnant women should not eat more than one meal per week of certain fish species from taken while Mille Lacs ice fishing, including Burbot, Carp, Northern Pike, Smallmouth Bass, Sunfish, Walleye, and Yellow Perch.
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