I was hoping someone on here could help me out. I have a trailered boat for the first in my life living in MN. I want to get it on Mtka asap. But I can only really fish weekend evenings. Is there a launch on Lake Minnetonka where I’ll be more likely to find parking after 3pm on Sat or Sun?
I drove by Gray’s Bay last weekend and all the spots were full.
Short of that, what are some other large metro lakes with good fishing and plenty of trailer parking?
I really appreciate it.
After 3 PM on weekends nowhere in the state is likely to have open parking spots unless it’s raining cats and dogs. You need to get out there at the crack of dawn, dude. 
You might want to try Waconia or keep heading west until the crowds disappear. Dassel/Cokato area has some decent lakes.
Hop on 55 or 12 and head West man, lots of good fishing 30-60min that way. Worth the drive and always open parking
You might possibly get lucky at the three rivers regional park entrance. They have 50+ spots and it costs $6 so sometimes there is room. Closes at 10pm tho.
If you’re desperate to be on the water in the metro on a weekend evening I’d be looking at the river. Specifically ft Snelling state park launch is NEVER full.
The fishing on the river is terrible and the launches are garbage….no one should ever go there……ever!!!
Minnetonka has a wide variety of launches, most of them are small and somewhat hidden. Grays bay launch is the busiest. You would have better luck trying to launch on the west side of the lake but as others have said good luck finding a parking spot on the weekend midday.
You might possibly get lucky at the three rivers regional park entrance. They have 50+ spots and it costs $6 so sometimes there is room. Closes at 10pm tho.
If you’re desperate to be on the water in the metro on a weekend evening I’d be looking at the river. Specifically ft Snelling state park launch is NEVER full.
I am desperate but I am also nervous about boating the river having never done so.
You will have plenty options middle of the lake if you don’t mind walking, wait until 5:00 or 6:00, normally plenty of sunburnt people leaving by then.
You will have plenty options middle of the lake if you don’t mind walking, wait until 5:00 or 6:00, normally plenty of sunburnt people leaving by then.
I was gonna say the same thing. Between 9 am and 6 pm it’s going to be pretty unlikely you’ll find a spot but there’s going to be a small exodus right around dinner time but that’s when the fishermen show up.
Jesse, river is actually pretty good right now. Flow and level is coming down so you’d be OK. You could launch at Watergate since that is a protected launch. Launching for the first time in current can be dicey and it’s best to have an extra set of hands. I think it’s like $15 on the weekends. Plenty of easy open water up and down the river from there.
Minnetonka makes me more nervous that the river…..a lot of big boats and tomfoolery out there. Not too much other traffic on the river, even on the weekends.
“Fishing Minnetonka” and “Summer Weekends” should never be used in the same sentence, or thought about in tandem. If I was 18-25 years old and looking for a party, I’d hit up Tonka every weekend. That’s really the only reason I’d go.
All joking aside, there’s 0% chance I’d enjoy fishing Tonka on a Saturday evening. You are better off putting on some miles to get away and find a lake that fits your desires. It’s amazing how much can change in a 45 minute drive regarding space and chaos on the water.
I 100% agree with it being safer on the river than on Minnetonka as was previously stated. Take a reliable friend and give the river a shot some day too if driving out of the metro is an issue.
Are you sure Gray’s Bay was full? The weather was not great on either day. Maybe everyone went out late Sunday because that was the only decent stretch for the pleasure boaters? Anyway, I haven’t seen any of the lots 100% full for a while. Even on Memorial Day weekend when it was hot and sunny, there were still spots at Maxwell and North Arm well into the afternoon. Those are my two favorite launches because they are right there together so if one lot is full, you have a good chance of there being space at the other. The only downside to North Arm is that there is no dock.
I live on Tonka and I try to avoid going on the water on the weekends especially to fish. Ive watched trucks straight up smash into other parked trucks at the launches cause people don’t know how to back up. I would do as others said and stay away in the summer unless you can go out during the week. There are some smaller launches that offer less chaos but they also offer less parking so its a bit of a double edged sword there.
I really appreciate it all. I’ll try the river this weekend and put together a further out list of lakes.
And if anyone wants to recommend some good lakes (aside from what’s been mentioned) I am all ears.
BTW, I have been fishing Nokomis exclusively the last several weeks. I had no idea there were that size walleye in that little lake.
BTW, I have been fishing Nokomis exclusively the last several weeks. I had no idea there were that size walleye in that little lake.
Don’t know what you’re talking about, there are no walleye in Nokomis! 
I think the biggest eye I’ve had there is maybe 17 but I know from the DNR surveys that there are big girls in there somewhere.
Couple weeks ago I was bobber fishing the Nokomis dock with 6lb mono. Big strike, not like a walleye strike. I thought for a minute I had my first Muskie. Womp womp, common carp. It was a beastie though. No tape but somewhere around 30” — fun fight on a 30 year old ugly stik noodle with 6lb line.
You have my # in PMs, I might be free for an hour or so this weekend to show you the ropes out of boom island. My boats on P2 rest of season so someone needs to take over for me up there. Text me a time you might be thinking if interested. I’ll know by end of day tomorrow my schedule.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Jesse D. wrote:</div>
BTW, I have been fishing Nokomis exclusively the last several weeks. I had no idea there were that size <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>walleye in that little lake.Don’t know what you’re talking about, there are no <em class=”ido-tag-em”>walleye in Nokomis!
I think the biggest eye I’ve had there is maybe 17 but I know from the DNR surveys that there are big girls in there somewhere.
Couple weeks ago I was bobber fishing the Nokomis dock with 6lb mono. Big strike, not like a walleye strike. I thought for a minute I had my first Muskie. Womp womp, common carp. It was a beastie though. No tape but somewhere around 30” — fun fight on a 30 year old ugly stik noodle with 6lb line.
I live a stones throw from Nokomis but don’t fish it as often as I should – it’s not a bad multi species lake and parking a trailer is a pain so it’s virtually no boats. They also have Sandcastle which is a great little spot. We take our 3 YO down there all the time.
Couple summers ago before the Lifetime Triathlon a musky took down a baby duck right near the swim start. There were a handful of people thinking twice about getting in for the swim!
I live a stones throw from Nokomis but don’t fish it as often as I should – it’s not a bad multi species lake and parking a trailer is a pain so it’s virtually no boats. They also have Sandcastle which is a great little spot. We take our 3 YO down there all the time.
Yeah, we live just across the 46th/Ford bridge in St Paul so we take the kids up there all the time in the summer. I avoided it on Tuesday and hit Harriet due to the stanky mess of dead crappies all over Nokomis. Harriet was a total zoo with sailboats.
Sorry to derail the ‘Tonka discussion.
Yeah, we live just across the 46th/Ford bridge in St Paul so we take the kids up there all the time in the summer. I avoided it on Tuesday and hit Harriet due to the stanky mess of dead crappies all over Nokomis. Harriet was a total zoo with sailboats.
Sorry to derail the ‘Tonka discussion.
What’s the parking situation at Harriet like (with a trailer)? That’s my favorite from shore bass lake and I haven’t taken the boat out for fear of parking.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>pool2fool wrote:</div>
Yeah, we live just across the 46th/Ford bridge in St Paul so we take the kids up there all the time in the summer. I avoided it on Tuesday and hit Harriet due to the stanky mess of dead crappies all over Nokomis. Harriet was a total zoo with sailboats.Sorry to derail the ‘Tonka discussion.
What’s the parking situation at Harriet like (with a trailer)? That’s my favorite from shore bass lake and I haven’t taken the boat out for fear of parking.
Not great. No chance on a weekend night. There are maybe 6 trailer spots? I wasn’t paying super close attention since I’m rocking a car-topper right now. The parkway around the lake is one-way with less street parking than Nokomis.
I would also estimate there are 3-4x the number of sailboats moored on Harriet. Heck, there were more sailboats out cruising Harriet on Tuesday night than there are slips on Nokomis. Between the planes overheaad all night and the sailboats in every direction, I didn’t have a lot of peace on the water on Tuesday. I’m still getting into the routine, this is my first summer without a real boat in a while.
There is some good advice on here. I will second the information given on trying to fish (or even launch a boat) on Lake Minnetonka, especially if is the weekend and its a nice day out. This is what I would advise: if you are going to fish there on the weekend, get out there early AM and be out of there by 11am or noon, or go when there is inclement weather. Rain is your friend. Otherwise I wouldn’t bother. There is good fishing to be had in that lake but fighting recreational riff raff isn’t worth it. Go to another lake that is less busy or even better yet, go to a river. Rivers are very under fished in Minnesota.
I’m not saying this was caught on Nokomis tonight but, if it were (and I’m not saying it was), it’s 20″ of wall eyed hog.
walleye.jpg
I am desperate but I am also nervous about boating the river having never done so
Use the Lion’s Levee launch in St. Paul Park to give yourself a good introduction to the river. It’s sheltered, deep, plenty of parking, and there is no current to speak of back there.
Stick to the channel when underway. From Lions you can run up to St. Paul or down to Hastings.
Obviously, there are no fish in this stretch, ignore all the rumors, those are just put out there by locals so they can laugh at west metro tourists trying to catch fish where there are none.
IMO, the River is actually easier to learn on weekends because with other boats out there, you do what they do. Much easier to learn lock proceedures for example when you just follow the crowd.
IMO, the river is less dangerous than a weekend on Minnetonka with 10,000,000 drunk party boys racing around in daddy’s boat. Also, what was that report about every sample of Minnetonka water containing the DNA of over 12 people mostly due to the amount of urine that goes it that lake every day. Yummy, where do I sign up for that action.
Grouse
Also, what was that report about every sample of Minnetonka water containing the DNA of over 12 people mostly due to the amount of urine that goes it that lake every day. Yummy, where do I sign up for that action
Somewhere out there, R Kelly, just raised his hand.
I have had luck Saturday evenings starting around 4pm at the Greys Bay Launch when we go muskie fishing. You might have to wait in line for a few minutes to launch, but you might get some good laughs out of it as well.
For other Metro Lakes, pretty much any of the lakes in the Southwest Metro are solid. They will have a ton of pressure by the end of the summer, but you can catch decent sized fish on some of them, especially bass. A few are Electric only. But if you have a good trolling motor you can get around those lakes easily and sometimes get on some great fishing.
There are a few lakes in the Lakeville area as well that have a decent launch and parking. Medicine Lake in Plymouth I dont know much about.
Medicine Lake can get very busy on a nice weekend day or holiday too (as can most metro lakes). It has room for about 50-60 parking so it generally will not fill up quite as fast. You will need a Three Rivers Pass (daily or season) to us the ramp there though.
44 and 7.
Somewhere out there, R Kelly, just raised his hand.
I hear he heads to Minnetonka on weekends for his weekly bath. Is there any truth to this? He says it’s natures natural exfoliator…
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