MN Fishing Vacation On Crane Lake & Mukooda Lake
If you’re looking for a great MN fishing vacation, the pristine waters of the Crane Lake and border waters offer plenty of natural habitat. It’s perfect for sustaining numerous species of freshwater game fish. The bottom topography etched out by the glaciers provides the reef structures, outcroppings, and secluded bays where game fish thrive. Crane Lake is well known as a hot spot for Minnesota fishing, and Scott’s Peaceful Valley offers fishing enthusiasts an authentic fishing experience.
Crane Lake not only connects you to several lakes to fish and explore, but you can also visit, fish, and camp in Canada!
Minnesota Opener: May 10, 2025
Fishing Mukooda Lake
Scott’s Peacefully Valley Resort is one of the few licensed vendors able to keep a boat on this lake. It is the lake of choice for bass fishing.
Mukooda Lake is a restricted access lake within Voyageurs National Park making this a unique fishing opportunity. The lake specializes in Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Lake Trout, Walleye, Blue Gill and Crappie.
This spring-fed lake borders Crane Lake and is located approximately 4 miles north by boat. Access to Mukooda Lake is a short 100-yard portage. A small limited number of boats are licensed for this lake by the DNR.
Scott’s Peacefully Valley Resort is one of the few licensed vendors able to keep a boat on this lake. Scott’s Peaceful Valley Resort maintains a 14 ft. Lund fishing boat on the lake available for rent.
Voyageurs National Park enacted boating and fishing restrictions in 2007 to protect the park’s interior lakes from invasive water species
Call for boat rental availability. Mukooda Boat Rental (Exclusive Fishing) in Voyageur’s National Park available for $50.00 day.
Ontario Fishing
https://www.visitcranelake.com/canada-border-information/
Our resort in Minnesota is equipped to handle all your fishing needs or line up all types of rental equipment within minutes of the resort. The marina can manage any size boat with pier-side gas and electrical connections available. We do not charge mooring fees and offer boat/cabin rental packages.
You’ll find bait, tackle, guide service, and miscellaneous boating equipment available at the resort or within walking distance.
We have a completely furnished fish house for you to take care of your fish; prepare them to eat or take home. If you’d like a shore lunch, we have a cooking area by the lake or will provide a deep fryer to your cabin.
Boat Orientation Trip
First-time anglers need to feel comfortable from their first day at the lake. We make that a reality by providing a map of the area and going over the navigation, fishing spots, and local regulations.
We also include a boat orientation trip at no additional charge. The orientation trip lasts approximately one hour and covers around 12- 15 miles of waterway. Our goal is to have you enjoying the area vs. learning the area.
Boat and Motor Rental Rates
Our rates start at $50.00 per day or $230.00 per week.
Most of our customers arrive with their own fishing boats and motors. However, when needed, we have 16-foot Lund boats and 6 hp Johnson motors available for rent.
Reserve your Minnesota fishing trip at Scott’s Peaceful Valley for comfortable lodging and access to one of the best fishing lakes in Minnesota!
The walleye fishing is some of the best in Minnesota and offers the opportunity to have numerous fishing days of enjoyment. There’s no need to travel great distances to find these trophy fish. Some of the best Minnesota walleye fishing is right in Crane Lake.
The Walleye year group populations are abundant, not only because of the environment, but because the State DNR has a slot size of 17- 28 inches to protect the breading stock. The daily limit of four walleyes affords one the opportunity to enjoy a shore lunch on the lake or bring your catch back to the resort.
The walleyes move from their spawning grounds in May and can be found in the rivers and shallow water. In June, the fish are transiting to the reefs and are normally between 15- 22 feet of water. The July and August timeframe finds the walleyes staying on the reef structures in waters between 18- 32 feet deep. The tackle of choice is for Crane Lake anglers is divided between the Lindy type rigs and the bottom bouncing jig.
The small mouth bass fishing is plentiful with some of the best shallow water action in the May and June timeframe.
The rocky shorelines and shallow water rock formations provide bass anglers with some of the most exciting freshwater fishing available. In May and early June surface plugs and spinners produce some trophy smallies.
As the season moves on, crank baits and diving plugs find the bass in the 4- to 10-foot depths. Later in the season, the bass start schooling up with the walleyes. This is when it can get pretty exciting fishing for walleyes and having a bass jump on the lure. There is no slot size on bass, and the daily limit is six.
The Northern Pike fishing is as exciting as it gets. A pike strike is always a thrill, and one never knows how big he is based on the initial action of the rod. The remote and secluded bay along the cattails and weed beds provide outstanding northern fishing.
Casting or trolling spoons seem to have the best luck, but there always seems to be one or two joining up with the school of walleyes.
Pan fishing can be rewarding for all ages. Crappies are abundant, and it’s common to catch them in the 12-plus inch range. In June, pan fish are normally in the shallow waters at 3-6 feet.
As the summer goes on, they move into deeper water and remain suspended in the 6- to 12-foot range in 18- to 25-feet of water. The bait of choice is either worms or small minnows.