Mille Lacs Fishing Report, April Smallmouth Bass 2026

Mille Lacs Smallmouth Bass Fishing Has Begun

This weeks Mille Lacs Fishing Report covers patterns and techniques for finding and catching smallmouth bass during April ice out conditions.  Fishing is off to a great start on Mille Lacs. Currently water temps are 39-42 degrees with ice out nearly complete.

New for Minnesota this year is a year round catch and release bass season. This creates the perfect opportunity for early season smallmouth fishing on Mille Lacs Lake. Lagoona Guide Service's fishing began this week on Mille Lacs, and is now booking April bass fishing trips.

April Ice Out Patterns for Mille Lacs Smallmouth Bass

Bass at this time are still located in or near their wintering areas. Smallmouth wintering areas on Mille Lacs are typically deep, with most fish found around rock deeper than 20'. Often times the best areas are close to spawning areas. There are exceptions though, wintering bass can sometimes be found shallower, especially on larger flats that slowly taper to deep water. These fish will sometimes winter as shallow as 12', generally in the rockiest area available.

Techniques are pretty limited at ice out, smallmouth are slow moving and tight to the bottom in cold water. This remains the case until water temps rise into the mid to upper 40's. A couple of the best bait choices for April smallmouth include swimbaits and bladebaits. These two techniques can catch bass equally as well, but in two very different ways.

Swimbaits are used to entice the fish by slowly fishing light three to four inch paddletails just inches off of the bottom. I generally use a 3/16 to 1/4 oz jighead, even in deep water. This forces an angler to slow down in order to make occasional bottom contact. This technique is excellent for big smallies.

Bladebaits are the other go-to at this time. Bladebaits are a more aggressive approach which elicits a reaction bite. Fishing a blade bait correctly takes a little practice, but is not difficult to do. The key is not to overwork the bait in cold water. The best approach is to lift the bait about a foot off the bottom and let it fall. Ideally you'll feel the bait make a couple of flutters on the lift before letting it fall back to the bottom. Fish will almost always hit on the fall.

These areas and techniques are a great starting point for cold water spring smallmouth on Mille Lacs.

Have a great season!

Ryan Kelly

Lagoona Guide Service

Mille Lacs Lake

www.fishlagoona.com

651-769-3142

@fishlagoona

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