Lake Pepin

Thinking about trying this lake, absolutely no clue what it’s like. I would be in a small boat, how cautious should I be with the fact that it is part of the river? Any tips appreciated!!!

How small is small? I fished Pepin for twenty years in a 14″ jon boat/20 hp and prior to that fished it for another 20 years in a 14 foot f7 alumacraft/15 hp. You have to stay very mindful of the wind and weather as that lake can build faster than any other water I have been on and small boats like these mentioned may not have zoom to get you back to where you put in fast enough if the water gets rough. Small boat generally have very short freeboard which can equate to wet rides in anything over a moderate chop.

I had a ton of experience in these boat from pool 2 to pool 8 gained over the years and still met with some iffy experiences. If you know your boat and its capabilities and know what YOU are capable of in that boat you should be fine as long as the boat isn’t smaller than the two mentioned. You still need to stay atop of the wind and weather. More problems come from people in small crafts getting into secluded [backwaters] areas where a major chop and wind is not really an issue until you need to head back. A more positive view of small boats is that they can get you into some dynamic fishing in skinny water where larger boats will likely hang up. Pepin’s fishing is about 90% shoreline related so a small boat is an ok fishing boat as long as limits are not pushed. I dealt with the wrath of Pepin twice in all those years and that was a good plenty for me. Both times I let my weather guard down.

Play the wind. There are days I wouldn’t even attempt to take an 18’ boat out there, and there are days people slalom ski the entire thing.

Wind direction is just as much a factor as the intensity. A 6-8mph wind blowing the longest span of the “lake” can make a mess. A 10mph wind blowing across the narrow way can leave one side calm. For me a big wind out of the East or South East makes life the toughest and is something I won’t fight. The gusts against the subtle current turns white caps in a hurry. Most mornings and evenings it lays down fairly well. I’d target one of those time periods first.

If you decide to go out have life jackets handy, let people know your plans, and research the landing ahead of time. I often choose my launching point based on the wind conditions just as much as my intended fishing spots for the day.

Good luck

I’m going to add here that Pepin/small boat is NOT a lets take three kids fishing smart. Things happen darned fast in a small boat and kids [plural] are just not a great mix to that. One child that minds and is old enough to listen is fine perhaps but no way would I take a child that can’t sit still.

Very sound advice. Several years fishing on Lake of the Woods and Leech I gained alot of experience with waves. But trying to get the boat out at the landing at the Camp on Pepin after the wind picked up was a challenge. My wife’s mother’s other daughters husband didn’t feel comfortable backing the trailer in or driving boat onto trailer. He volunteered to stand in water to keep the boat from shore. Literally took me 1 minute to run to truck and back it down. There he stood on the shore with my boat full of water.

Like others said, the wind is the biggest problem. If by yourself, have ropes to tie your boat up after launching. Get your motor running on those rough days so once you throw lines, you can get out fast so it don’t blow you on shore. I prefer the Roschen launch over hoksila, i just wish the dock was longer as I usually fish by myself.

There’s kayaks, canoes, fishing boats, ski boats, sailboats, jet skis, paddle boards, yahts and barges on Pepin.. All can be enjoyed with the same common sense as every other body of water. Have fun!!

Saw a small boat this weekend-dude wife and 2 kids! Hope they had some rules in there because if they randomly (kids can be random!) decided to lean to one side they would have been in for a swim.

boat size means boat skill level have never had a problem just be smart many spots to get out of the wind go catch some and have fun

Thanks for all the tips, appreciate all the responses! Any fishing advice? Hoping to snag some walleyes, c and r only

The majority of the lake has a distinct break line that ranges from 12-20 ft, with the rapidly dropping water Id concentrate on these break lines, either trolling cranks or bait will work, lots of points will hold fish as well.
Good luck