Lakes close to Minneapolis

[vanhln]

Question for you all.....  I'm from Ohio and my brother lives in downtown Minneapolis.   I wanna go visit him this winter and possibly ice fish there, but maybe only an hour from downtown.  Any suggestions on the lake?   It will be a 13 hour drive for me, so wanna keep it close to downtown..

thanks....

[littlepineguy]

I escaped the city awhile ago, but while I was there the only 'city' lake on which I had good success was Lake of the Isles (mostly small/medium crappies). Bad Medicine was okay but that's getting to be 5-8 miles from downtown. Tonka offers a lot of opportunity but now you're 15 miles out.  I don't know much of the bodies East or North of downtown. 

[TheCrappieFisherman]

If your max is an hour from DT there are a handful of options, from the lakes within the 494/694 loop and the ones just outside that. I fish the west side of the cities and there are a lot of options. Medicine, crystal, tonka, prior lake, all get hit hard but are popular panfish lake. People fish isle, Calhoun, nokomis but I don't know much about them. Medicine has a good plowed road usually, and a bait shop right there.

[Monticatgeek]

you could hit some of the Wright county lakes which are with in 45 minutes of downtown Minneapolis. from my place in Monticello I easily have 10 plus lakes I can be on in less then 20 miles from my place. some freeze sooner then other so as to which ones to try would depend on when you would be here in MN. Just get on I-94 had head west to Monticello & Wright county.

[Monticatgeek]

Just remembered one other one. Lake Waconia is a good lake that is Close to Minneapolis. it is west of the cities on Hwy 5.

[winterbuddy]

East, you have the St. Croix about 30min from downtown.  If you head NE towards the Chisago/Lindstrom area you might pass White Bear, Carnelian(s) or Big Marine to name a few on the way.  Lots of opportunities within 1hr.

[PikePetersen]

I used to fish Nokomis a bit in the winter. No motorized vehicles or permanent shacks allowed on the city lakes so there's usually fewer people out there

[vanhln]

thanks everyone.  My brother lives very close to Nokomis and that sounds like a place to start.