Lake Characteristics         General Information         Boot Lake Map

Walleye Information          DNR Lake Report           Summary

Welcome to the Half Moon Trail fishing page.  It is our intent to provide information which will create realistic expectations about our lake.  Boot Lake is a better than average fishing lake, however, certain times of the year are better than others.  Our earlier guests come here for the fishing, and many of them return year after year. We usually have some excellent June fishing for crappies and large walleyes.  There always seem to be plenty of small northerns, a fairly easy fish to catch.  For the kids, we have an abundance of sunfish, especially off the docks.  Out on the lake one can usually catch a meal of sunnies, the only problem is sorting through all the little ones to get to the bigger ones.  The bass fishing is probably about average most of the year.  As is the case in most Minnesota lakes, the better fishing will taper off as you head into the warmer summer months.  If you have more questions not answered on this page, please give us a call;  Dave is always looking for an excuse to talk about fishing.

Boot Lake Characteristics.  Our lake is very clear, with a  sechi dish reading of 16 feet.  This clear water can impact the walleyes, often delaying their peak feeding period until the evening and into the night.  The lake is deep (109 feet at the deepest), with some classic walleye structure, including a sunken island and extended bars near deep water.  However most of the lake could best be described as a bowl, with rapid drop-offs into deep water.  The main types of emergent vegetation are lily pads and bull rushes (pencil weeds).  Although we have a sandy bottom here at the resort, much of the lake bottom would be characterized as marl.  One significant baitfish in Boot Lake are the ciscoes, a highly desirable, high fat food item for the larger predators like walleyes.  This is probably one characteristic which contributes to the lake being able to support larger concentrations of big walleyes.

Walleye Information.  For walleyes the most common method is a Lindy rig tipped with a crawler or jumbo leech.  In this clear water, light lines are the rule, usually 6 lb. test.  Night fishing is common on our lake.  Our drop-offs zig and zag considerably, so a depth finder (or better yet a graph) is essential equipment if you are serious about walleyes.  There are several specific areas which could be described as classic walleye structure, but most of our fishermen work the entire shoreline, varying the depth from 10  up to 25 feet, until they start graphing fish with consistency.  Although most follow the shoreline, trolling slowly with live bait and Lindy rigs, some will cover more ground with crank baits.  Control of depth and lure placement are a little more difficult with this approach, but some find success with it.  In mid-summer when the large walleyes are suspended in the middle of the lake feeding on suspended schools of ciscoes, a common method of night fishing is to troll a crankbait (ie. a # 8 shad rap) with a lot of line at a fairly fast clip, in order to reach these feeding fish. 

General Information.  We have bait available here at the resort.  We sell night crawlers, several sizes of leeches, crappie and fathead minnows.  There are several bait and tackle stores in Park Rapids which carry a great selection.  Northern Bait (located on the south edge of Main Street) in particular, has all types of live bait and an excellent selection of tackle.  We carry some basic tackle, mainly supplies to set up the basic rigs most commonly used on our lake.  The boats that are available to rent come in two sizes(14' and 16'),  with 3 motor sizes to choose from (6,10, and 15).  These are Carolina Skiffs.  A broad, flat bottomed fiberglass boat that works well on a lake our size.  These boat have plenty of room, they are stable, and our guests love them.  We have bow and stern lights available for guests who like to night fish.  We also have a large trolling motor and a basic depth finder available on a rental basis.

DNR Report.   Boot Lake is located in northeastern Becker County, six miles northwest of the town of Two Inlets. Boot Lake is a narrow, deep lake with a surface area of 348 acres and a maximum depth of 109 feet. There is a state-owned public access located on the north shore of the lake. Boot Lake is best known for it's walleye population, but also provides angling for northern pike, largemouth bass, and panfish. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has classified Minnesota's lakes into 43 different types based on physical, chemical, and other characteristics. Boot Lake is in lake class 23. Other area lakes in this same classification include Big Bass, Benedict, Blue, East Crooked, Spearhead, and Tripp.

Walleye abundance (4.1 walleye/gillnet) was within the range "typical" for this lake class and near the current management goal of 5.0 walleye/gillnet. Walleye abundance in past surveys has been slightly higher, fluctuating from within to just above the "typical" range. Sampled walleye had an average length and weight of 17.3 inches and 2.1 pounds. A successful DNR stocking program is maintaining the walleye population in Boot Lake as age analysis showed minimal contribution from natural reproduction. Boot Lake is stocked with walleye fingerlings during odd years. The walleye forage base is a concern in Boot Lake as the abundance of yellow perch (0.3 yellow perch/gillnet) was very low. Yellow perch are an important forage species for walleye, and there numbers in Boot Lake have been declining since the 1991 survey. A tullibee (cisco) population is also present in Boot Lake and provide an important forage base for large walleye and northern pike.

Northern pike numbers were up, with the gillnet catch rate of 9.3 pike/gillnet above the "typical" range for this lake class. Northern pike abundance has been increasing in Boot Lake, with earlier surveys at the low end of the "typical" range and recent surveys at the upper end of the range. The northern pike sample was dominated by small, "hammer handle" pike with an average length and weight of 18.6 inches and 1.4 pounds. The northern pike population in Boot Lake is limited by high reproduction and recruitment of young pike and very slow growth rates. Boot Lake with it's deep water and tullibee (cisco) forage base would seem to have the potential of producing large northern pike, however, past surveys have sampled very few large pike and reports from anglers have been limited.

Not really known as bass - panfish lake, Boot Lake does support moderate numbers of bluegill and largemouth bass and low numbers of black crappie. Bluegill were small in size with an average length of 4.7 inches and with low numbers of fish sampled over 6.0 inches. Bluegill growth rates are very slow in Boot Lake. Black crappie are more of an acceptable size for angling with fish sampled up to 10.6 inches. Moderate numbers of largemouth bass were sampled with bass measured up to 19.4 inches. Largemouth bass are slow growing in Boot Lake.

Other species sampled included high numbers of yellow bullhead and moderate numbers of rock bass and hybrid sunfish. White sucker and green sunfish were sampled in low numbers.

Lake Map.  Click here to load a DNR lake map of Boot Lake.

Summary.  Boot Lake has proven to be a better than average fishing lake, especially for large walleyes.  However, due to the clear water, it is not an easy lake to fish.  The more experienced fishermen like the challenge and potential this lake has to offer.  A novice with unrealistic expectations can sometimes be disappointed.  The lake is managed by the DNR with a focus on large walleyes, and they are here.  However, we seldom see limits of “eating size” walleyes.  If it is important for you to catch more smaller fish, you would be well advised to head to a different lake.  If on the other hand, you are an experienced walleye fisherman, or you have kids and would just like to catch fish, like small northerns or sunfish, then Boot Lake may be the lake you are looking for.