I’m relatively new to the area, and my wife and are looking at the possibility of buying a home on a lake. I’d prefer to live on a lake that has good fishing in the summer, and good ice fishing in the winter. North Metro seems like a good fit for us (like Bald Eagle), but I’m open to other suggestions. Does anyone have thoughts on which lakes in the metro area would be the best to live on for year-round fishing?
Thanks!
There are numerous great lakes around the Metro area to live on. The piece of the puzzle to check out would be if you really want to enjoy living on the lake and what you’ll paying for property taxes or if you really want to just go fishing? You can probably figure lake values will be 20%-40% higher than non-lake properties and thus the property taxes to go along with that.
Lake Minnetonka with over 15,000 acres of water with numerous bays, channels, islands IMHO would be the crown jewel for both fishing and lake living.
There are smaller hidden jems all around the Metro, but do your homework on the Lake itself, the City it is located, the Watershed District, Lake Association and School District. Many Cities have special rules as do Watershed Districts and Lake Associations.
If you really enjoy & want a Beach, we now have Zebra Mussels invading many lakes which will clutter the beach areas in a few years.
A Friend on Minnetonka just found he has to replace 1/3 of his sprinkler heads due to Zebras getting into the system.
Last of all, Welcome to Minnesota 
Thanks for the message! I have been looking at different lakes and doing some research, but its always nice to hear some recommendations. I work quite a bit, so living on a lake would allow me to fish quite a bit more (because I often find I don’t have the time to hook the boat up, drive to a lake, fish and then return). My thought is that if I lived on a lake, I’d be able to easily grab the boys and go fishing for an hour or two after work. The same goes for ice fishing.
As for recommendations, I’m hoping people might have some thoughts on what lakes they enjoy in the summer and winter. For example, I have looked at houses on Owasso, and I know it has OK fishing in the summer (muskies, pike, bluegills, bass). However, I’ve also read that it is aerated in the winter (or can be), and I have no idea how that might affect the ice depth and ice fishing in the winter. Insights from experienced people in the area would be great on things like that!
Thanks again for the help.
Quote:
A Friend on Minnetonka just found he has to replace 1/3 of his sprinkler heads due to Zebras getting into the system.
Pfffftttt!!!! Oh the troubles those poor, poor people on Minnetonka have to deal with. Hope he can still afford to feed his family after that hardship.
IdaSota, welcome to the Twin Cities. I grew up about 5 miles from Bald Eagle and it offers a good year round fishery with a lot of options for species and in my opinion in a very good community. From a lake perspective I would consider the poor water quality/visibility in Bald Eagle a negative. It can get really green in the summer. Also, there seems to be more wakeboarders/tubers/skiers on that lake than most (I know they are everywhere).
I would look hard at Forest Lake and Big Marine in the north metro. Both are very good fishing lakes and in the case of Big Marine great water clarity and has more of a rural setting.
If you expand your search to the west metro I would agree that Minnetonka is the best of the best in the metro. You could fish Tonka for the rest of your life and still find new spots.
White Bear is a very nice lake, good clarity, large, good fishing year round…
Big Carnelian, Demontreville too
I live on Lake Elmo & it’s beautiful, not as busy as some other metro lakes, big park, great schools, but fishing can be somewhat challenging at times. Worth a look as well as all the others alreay mentioned. Good Luck!
No question, Lake St. Croix. When they’re not using it as a floodwater retention reserve. And then, there’s that asian carp DNA….
My wife and I are considering selling out place on Lake Minnetonka, on the west side of Harrison Bay. If you are interested in a nice 3-bedroom Townhome, send me a PM for details.
Since we haven’t put it up formally, or signed with a realtor, it could be an opportunity.
It all depends on what you want. Do you want to live close to work? Are you concerned about the school district or be close to your kids school? Is there a price range you’re looking for? If your job is in Eden Prairie there’s no sense in looking at Forest Lake. The last thing you want to do is criss cross the metro.
Great posts – Thanks. I agree – commute, schools and price range all play into it. However, right now I’m just trying to figure out what the best lakes would be to consider based on the lake itself – we can then weigh all the variables. For instance, I work in downtown Minneapolis, and my wife works in St. Paul. Either way, one is probably going to have to drive more than the other.
If I’ve got it right, the lakes recommended so far are:
Bald Eagle
White Bear Lake
Lake Minnetonka
Forest Lake
Big Marine Lake
Lake Elmo
Big Carnelian
Demontreville
Lake St. Croix
Thanks everyone! If there are others, please feel free to pass them along.
Do you need a motor?
My friend lives blocks from Harriet in Mpls. Harriet, Calhoun and the other city lakes are very good for fishing.
The lake doesn’t need to allow gas motors. An electric only lake (if that is what you are referring to) would be fine.
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