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Green Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Kandiyohi County’s deep blue anchor: Green Lake’s clear water and gravel bars make Spicer the walleye town it is.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Water temp
~66 F est.
Air / High
80 / 83 F
Wind
NE 8 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

4/5Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Green Lake offers the kind of conditions this water was made for. Today brings clear skies, wind NE around 8 mph, falling pressure near 1011 hPa and a high of 83. Water sits around 66 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

WalleyeExcellent

Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Smallmouth bassExcellent

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Northern pikeExcellent

Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Yellow perchGood

Drifting flats and weed edges with small jigs tipped with bait.

Tomorrow: Similar at 84 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp80 F
High / Low83 / 69 F
WindNE 8-9 mph
Pressure1010.7 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain23% cloud, 2%
Sunrise / Sunset06:45 / 19:51
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~66 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Showers, 83/69 F, wind 12 mph, rain 2%

Fair or better. A 12 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Green Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: May-Jun, Oct

The glass-eyed prize of northern lakes. Low light, wind-blown structure and live bait. Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Northern pike illustration

Northern pike

Best: spring, early winter

The ambush predator of weedbeds and cabbage edges. Aggressive, big and always worth a wire leader. Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Yellow perch illustration

Yellow perch

Good most of the year

The great lakes and northern panfish staple. Schools tight to bottom; where you catch one there are fifty. Drifting flats and weed edges with small jigs tipped with bait.

When to come: the Green Lake calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Walleye
Smallmouth bass
Northern pike
Yellow perch
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 66 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Green Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 89 F, wind to 14 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 86 F, wind to 8 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 81 F, wind to 7 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Minnesota requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Minnesota license. Standard inland walleye and bass limits: check current DNR regs and any experimental rules for the lake.

Access

Public ramps off County Road 10 on the south shore and near Saulsbury Beach; winter access roads via local resorts.

About this water

A 5,406-acre clear, deep glacial lake at Spicer, Kandiyohi County, Minnesota: the anchor of the Willmar lakes walleye region.

Fishing Green Lake: the full guide

The clear one

Green Lake is the flagship of the Willmar lakes area: 5,400 acres of unusually clear, deep water (down to 110 feet) beside the town of Spicer. Clarity sets it apart from the fertile prairie lakes around it: this is a gravel-and-rock walleye lake with genuine depth, strong smallmouth fishing that keeps getting better, pike over the weed flats, and hard-water perch and crappie communities that turn the ice into a village every January.

Walleye in clear water

Clear water makes the walleye light-shy: the best bites come at dawn, dusk, after dark and on wind-chopped days. Work the classic spots: the sunken island and gravel bars off the northeast corner, the sharp breaks at 18-30 feet: with jig-and-shiner in spring, leeches on live-bait rigs through June, and trolled crankbaits on leadcore over the deep basin in late summer. Night trolling shallow cranks over the bars in fall takes the biggest fish of the year.

The supporting cast

Smallmouth have boomed: rock points and gravel shorelines fish like a Canadian shield lake with tubes and jerkbaits, especially May-June. Pike track the cabbage edges: casting spoons over 8-12 feet. Ice season is the great equalizer: walleye on the bars at twilight, jumbo perch roaming the deep flats, and crappie suspended over 30-plus feet found with electronics.

Spicer logistics

Access is easy: the main public ramp on the south shore, Saulsbury Beach area, and winter plowed roads maintained by resorts and the county. Green Lake’s size and clarity build real waves in a south wind: small boats should pick their days. Spicer wraps the lake with bait shops, resorts and rental pontoons: a fishing town by DNA.

Common questions

Why fish Green Lake over the neighbors?

Depth and clarity: it fishes like a northern shield lake dropped into farm country, with walleye, true smallmouth structure fishing and quality ice perch in one basin.

When is the walleye bite best?

The first three weeks after opener and again in October: low light always. Summer fish come deep on leadcore or after dark.

Is it good for ice fishing?

Excellent and social: safe ice usually by late December, with a plowed-road village over the bars. Twilight walleye and midday perch are the rhythm.

Is fishing good at Green Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Nearby waters

Lake Waconia61 miLake Minnetonka68 miBig Stone Lake83 miGull Lake85 miOtter Tail Lake87 miMille Lacs Lake91 mi
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