Lake Miltona — Suckers for Muskies, and Central Minnesota Walleyes Moving Shallow

There’s a bucket in my garage that’s meant for big suckers. It has a lid, a bubbler, and the smell of a bad decision. Every fall I look at it and think, this is the year. Then I go perch fishing.

According to a fresh St. Cloud radio interview, this might be the week to get that bucket out.

Where this came from

On Oct. 30, Glen Schmitt of Outdoor News joined Jay Caldwell on WJON. They covered ducks, deer, and pheasants, and in the middle of all that there’s some good fishing news for central Minnesota. Here’s the fishing part in our own words.

Muskies: suckers are out

• Schmitt says the muskie bite has picked up.
• He’s seeing anglers fish big sucker minnows for them.
• He named two area lakes for it: Miltona, over by Alexandria, and Gull, up by Brainerd.

That’s why this card is filed under Miltona. To be clear, he didn’t give any spots, depths, or numbers for Miltona. It was a recommendation, not a trip log. Gull got the same mention.

If you’ve never fished a sucker for muskies, plan on a big net and a long wait. Before you rig up, go through the DNR fishing regulations for live-bait and muskie rules. Take care of the fish when it’s time to let it go. A fish that size took years to grow, so handle it that way.

Walleyes: regional pattern, not Miltona-specific

These notes cover central Minnesota in general. No single lake was named.

• Water: he puts it in the low 50s now.
• Bite: walleyes are getting more consistent.
• Where: under 10 feet, off points and across flats, usually somewhere with deep water close by.
• What’s working: a jig and minnow, plus crankbaits.

Crappies: two places to look

He says to look for crappies deep and suspended, but the bigger ones can still turn up shallow. That’s two very different spots to check, which, honestly, is a pretty normal November in Minnesota. You’ll be wrong about one of them.

The rest of the calendar

The firearms deer opener is Saturday, Nov. 7, and Schmitt says there are more rule changes than he can remember in any other year. Look them up on the DNR site and buy your license early. You’ll probably have the lakes mostly to yourself that weekend. That’s our guess, not his.

Why it’s worth a trip

Low-50s water, walleyes moving up shallow, and muskie people bringing out the big suckers. Get out there before the boat goes under the tarp for the winter. The lake doesn’t owe you anything, but some years it gives you a good November anyway.

Fine print

This is from a radio interview, not a trip log or a lake survey. The only Miltona-specific note is that it’s one of the lakes he named for muskies. The walleye, crappie, and water-temperature notes are for central Minnesota in general. There were no fish counts, sizes, or exact spots, and we didn’t add any. Conditions change quickly this time of year, so check with an Alexandria-area bait shop before you go.

Sources

• WJON, “Cooler Weather Brings Ducks And Geese Flooding Into Central Minnesota Waters” (Jay Caldwell with Glen Schmitt of Outdoor News), Oct. 30, 2026
• MN DNR fishing regulations