Waters · Lakes · MN · Thu, Aug 13

How's the bite at Mille Lacs Lake today? Biting — the middle of the day carries it.

Worth a cast.

Built from solunar, pressure, level, wind. This water has no live gauge for every reading — see the sources below.

6/10
Biting

Today's bite windows

12 AM6 AMNoon6 PM11 PM
Major
12:49 AM–2:49 AM
Moon underfoot
Minor
6:43 AM–7:43 AM
Moonrise
Major
1:13 PM–3:13 PM
Moon overhead
Minor
8:27 PM–9:27 PM
Moonset

Sunrise 6:11 AM · sunset 8:27 PM · tomorrow's first major 1:38 AM–3:38 AM · windows on every water

Solunar · computed updated 3:36 AM

Conditions right now

Water level
10.49ft
-0.02 ft in 24h
USGS 05284000 updated 3:15 AM
Pressure
29.93inHg
rising · +1.35 hPa/12h
NOAA KBRD updated 3:20 AM
Wind
3mph NNE
NOAA KBRD updated 3:20 AM
Moon
1% waxing
Solunar · computed updated 3:36 AM

What this means

Walleye, Largemouth bass
This gauge reports level but no water temperature, so depth calls stay open. Read the windows and the pressure trend instead.

Mille Lacs Lake water level today

10.49 ft down 0.02 ft in 24 hours

That sits 21% of the way up the band it has held over the last 8 days, between 10.43 and 10.71 ft. Over the week it is down0.05ft.

08-05 10.43–10.71 ft 08-13
USGS 05284000 updated 3:15 AM

The week ahead

Fri 6 Biting
Sat 6 Biting
Sun 6 Biting
Mon 6 Biting
Tue 6 Biting
Wed 6 Biting
Thu 6 Biting

Forecast days carry solunar and the wind outlook. Pressure and gauge movement land the morning of.

Before you go

A Minnesota fishing license covers this water — $25 a year for residents. DNR sets the rules and is the one that counts.

What it costs, and who is exempt →

Nearby waters today

Questions people ask about Mille Lacs Lake

Answered from the same readings as the rest of this page. Where we have no basis for an answer, there is no entry — spot-by-spot local knowledge is not something we can claim for Mille Lacs Lake.

Is it worth fishing Mille Lacs Lake today?
6 out of 10 — biting. Worth a cast. The strongest stretch is 12:49 AM–2:49 AM. That number is worked out fresh each morning from the solunar windows, the pressure trend, the water level.
What time should you fish Mille Lacs Lake?
Today's major windows run 12:49 AM–2:49 AM and 1:13 PM–3:13 PM, with minor windows at 6:43 AM–7:43 AM and 8:27 PM–9:27 PM. Sunrise is 6:11 AM and sunset 8:27 PM. A major landing on first or last light is the stretch worth setting an alarm for.
What is the water temperature at Mille Lacs Lake?
No gauge on Mille Lacs Lake measures water temperature. US reservoir gauges report height, not temperature — so rather than estimate it, this page leaves it out and leans on the windows and the pressure trend instead.
What is the water level at Mille Lacs Lake right now?
10.49 ft, read at 3:15 AM from USGS station 05284000. Over 24 hours it is down 0.02 ft.
Can you eat the fish you catch in Mille Lacs Lake?
That is a health question, and it is answered officially rather than by us. Minnesota Department of Health publishes the fish consumption advisory covering these waters, where updated in March 2026 with new length-based limits for walleye and northern pike. Read it before you keep a meal — we give no eating advice.

MDH fish consumption advisory

Do you need a licence to fish Mille Lacs Lake?
Yes. A Minnesota fishing license covers this water, required from age 16. DNR sets the rules and is the one that counts.

What a Minnesota license costs, and who is exempt

What size fish can you keep in MN?
It depends on the species, and several have slot limits rather than a simple minimum. Open to harvest today: walleye and sauger, largemouth and smallmouth bass, northern pike, muskellunge (muskie). Seasons here change mid-year by agency order, so the status is re-checked every morning.

Check a length against the rules

Where these numbers come from

The gauge near Garrison reports the lake level on one of the most talked-about walleye lakes in the country.

No one types these in by hand. If a source goes quiet, the page says so instead of showing you yesterday.