JULY
Myrtle Lake
When it comes to bluegills, you typically either have a choice between a lake that has many small fish or a lake with just a few big ones. Myrtle Lake in St. Louis County is the exception, with a lot of bigger sunfish.

The bluegills school on Myrtle by size, so if you're into a group of smaller fish, move somewhere else. You'll find a pod of three-to-a-pound sunnies, and that's the area you stick with.

Prairie Lake
Tie on an 8-inch or larger crankbait with a long, thin body in a shiner pattern and then troll the 10-, 12-, 15- and 20-foot breaklines, and you'll catch some big northern pike on Prairie Lake. Special regulations on this St. Louis County lake protect the big pike, so plan to release all the respectable-sized fish you catch.

Bear Head Lake
Surround yourself with a beautiful northwoods setting on a lake where the boat traffic is limited to 10 mph and drag a live-bait rig with a leech over the rocky points and sand saddles for walleyes on beautiful Bear Head Lake.

AUGUST
Cedar Island Lake
Sometimes a Minnesota angler just needs a little change of pace. This is a good time to consider the channel catfish on Cedar Island Lake in Stearns County.

Channel cats won't hesitate to smack a shad-shaped crankbait as long as you troll it slow and keep it near the bottom. A live-bait rig with a night-crawler harness is also a great option. Use a No. 3 or No. 4 spinnerblade in silver to get their attention.

Lake Andrusia
Concentrate on the mid-lake saddle for some productive "dog days" walleye fishing. Trolling spinner rigs over the sand and rubble breaklines will eventually pinpoint a pod of walleyes that are concentrated on the structure. Mark the spot and use a jig or slip-bobber to strip a few more walleyes from that spot.

Round Lake
Get on this Aitkin County water at dusk and long-line troll a deep-diving crankbait in the 16- to 24-foot depth ranges and you will be pleased by the amount of 18- to 22-inch walleyes that will fall for your offering.

SEPTEMBER
Upper Hay Lake
To find the big largemouth bass on Upper Hay in Crow Wing County in September, just sit your boat right on top of one of the many humps and cast a big-lipped deep-diving crankbait as far as you can into the deeper water. Crank it back hard and fast, and when that lure hits the point where it wants to start climbing, those big bucketmouths lying at the base of those humps will pop up off the bottom and grab it.

Balsam Lake
Cabbage is the key for big pike on Itasca County's Balsam Lake. Use large spinnerbaits to plow through the vegetation, and work muskie-sized crankbaits on the edge of the weeds. Balsam has a reputation as a big-pike lake, and special regulations will keep it that way.

Lake Sylvia
Big bass are not uncommon on this Wright County lake, but your expectations should lean toward a lot of bites and a lot of 2- and 3-pounders. A 1/4-ounce jig tipped with a 3-inch plastic grub will provide consistent largemouth action.