‘Hammer Smallies On This Sprawling Spread’ In Central Minnesota

If you are looking for a lake that seems to be producing and landing smallmouth bass at a torrential pace, set your sights on our Northeast, as Lake Mille Lacs just landed on Bassmaster's Top-100 Lakes for Bass in 2025. If the number associated with Mille Lacs is the ranking, it is a Top-10 lake!

"Hammer Smallies" On This Sprawling Lake

Bassmaster.com put out its top-100 bass lakes in 2025 recently, and it features lakes from across the US. It's no surprise that you find lakes from Florida, Texas, and California on the list, but at number 8 is one of Minnesota's prized gems, Mille Lacs. Here's how they described the lake that has been known in Minnesota for years as a top-fishing lake.

"The City Auto Glass Bass Classic is one of the biggest tournaments held at Mille Lacs annually — in very late summer, to be exact. That’s prime time for smallmouth action in these parts, and the weights in the 2024 event prove it, with five smallmouth sacks weighing 27.22, 26.43, 26.2 and 25.43 pounds. Perhaps even more impressive, every single bag in the Top 10 had at least one smallmouth bass that weighed more than 5 pounds." - Brian Sak - Bassmaster.com

The Time Is Now To Catch Smallmouths

This is a great time of year to get out on the water and drop a line, and try your luck at catching smallmouth bass. Most of the fish are going to be in deeper water as it's warmer out, and many will also be post-spawn, which means they are lying a little low, regaining some of the energy they expended.

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Once we get closer to the fall months, you'll start to see smallmouth moving back into the shallower water and lying on the edges of weed beds looking for a quick and easy meal. Note that smallmouth bass are mostly catch-and-release once we get into the fall months, depending on the lake, but we've still got plenty of time until then.

Smallmouth Records In Minnesota

The record for a smallmouth bass in Minnesota was set back in 1948, on West Battle Lake, where an 8-pounder was pulled from the depths.