Any fishing launches worthwhile on Mille Lacs?

I haven’t fished the lake much, but I hear about how the fishing is really good right now, so I am thinking about trying one of the launches that goes out. Does anyone have any suggestions about launches that they think are good or bad? Or are the launches not worth the money and I should just start exploring myself? My boat is an Alumacraft Tournament Pro 175 with an Evenrude 70 HP tiller on it and a bow mounted 12V trolling motor, so I could probably handle days that don’t have 20 MPH winds out there.

I dont have any launch suggestions, but your boat should be fine for millacs if you have respect for the water, and you have some choppy water experience. I have had no problems in a 16′ boat over time, but I have had to get off the lake when things got ugly.

Not all boat designs are created equal.. if you have one of those boats that like to spear waves and take water over the front occasionaly.. avoid any rough day.

A friend and I used to fish it a lot in mid 90’s with almost the identical boat and motor (only a 60hp). You should be fine, especially if you aren’t going out to the mud flats but common sense will be your best tool on that lake. Good luck.

Out of curiosity, what are launch prices going for these days?

You’ll be fine in that boat. Just use your head and don’t take foolish chances. I’ve fished Mille Lacs in some pretty crazy waves in my 16′ non deep-v alumacraft, but I don’t take the risks I did when I was younger. The low profile bass boats are little more risky (saw one get swamped last year).

I think that your boat sounds like it should do OK on the lake. With that said, if you want to take out a launch to get an idea of spots, I have used Dennis at St. Alban’s Bay several times over the last few years and have never come off the water disappointed.

Your boat is more than enough for the pond. People still fish out of 14′ Lunds out there!

Keep in mind that you don’t have to travel to the mud flats in the middle of the lake to catch fish. There are lots of reefs and mud flats only a couple of miles off shore, some even closer!

Yup. You’ll be fine fishing in your boat. I used to take clients out of a lot of launch services on Mille Lacs and we used to catch a lot of fish but you really don’t learn anything waiting for your bobber to go down. The guides are not real talkative either. (I once got yelled at by a guide on a launch when he saw a GPS in my hand that wasn’t even on. He threatened to throw it in the lake. I was just showing it to a client as he had never seen one. Not much of a tip for him that day…) RR