Del Mar Dunes Beach Resort
Garrison
Call for current rates
Mille Lacs covers about 132,500 acres across Mille Lacs, Aitkin and Crow Wing counties, and is no deeper than 42 feet. Garrison sits on the northwest corner, US 169 runs down the west shore past Cove and Vineland toward Onamia, Isle and Wahkon are on the south shore, and Malmo is at the northeast corner.
Walleye limits are set each year because the harvest is split between state anglers and the Ojibwe bands under the 1837 treaty. In summer, launch boats take anglers by the seat for about four hours. In winter, resorts plow ice roads and rent sleeper houses by the night.
I. The lodges
Where to stay
Pick the west shore for the Garrison launches and Highway 169, the south shore for Isle, Wahkon and the state park, or the north-east shore for the big winter ice-road operations.
9 places to stay
West shore: Garrison to Onamia
Garrison, Cove, Vineland and the Onamia side along US 169. Twin Pines, Glowacki's, Garrison Sports and Terry's run launch boats, and Rocky Reef and Randy's rent sleepers off Twilight Road.
Eddy's Resort
Vineland
Call for current rates
Garrison Bay Resort
Garrison
From $2,250–$3,500 / season (year) · year not stated
Glowacki's Resort
Garrison
Call for current rates
Izatys Resort
Onamia
Call for current rates
Randy's Rentals and Resort
Onamia
Call for current rates
Rocky Reef Resort
Onamia
From $125–$175 / night · year not stated
Stone's Throw Chateau on Cove Bay
Onamia
From $150–$170 / night (for 2 guests) · year not stated
Twin Pines Resort
Garrison
Call for current rates
10 places to stay
South shore: Isle & Wahkon
Isle, Wahkon and Father Hennepin State Park on Highways 27 and 47. Fisher's runs a walk-on launch, and Mac's Twin Bay and Beachside rent ice houses on plowed roads.
Appeldoorn's Sunset Bay Resort & Event Center
Isle
Call for current rates
Beachside Resort
Wahkon
From $109–$154 / night · 2026–27
Castles Resort
Isle
Call for current rates
Father Hennepin State Park
Isle
Call for current rates
Fisher's Resort
Isle
From $185–$245 / night · 2026
Island View Resort
Wahkon
Call for current rates
Mac's Twin Bay Resort
Isle
Call for current rates
McQuoid's Inn & Event Center
Isle
Call for current rates
Mille Lacs Island Resort
Wahkon
Call for current rates
Northern Skys RV Resorts
Isle
Call for current rates
6 places to stay
North-east shore: Malmo & Hwy 18
The Highway 47 shore north of Isle past Hunters Point and Malmo, and the Highway 18 resorts on the Aitkin County side. Hunters Point says it plows more than 70 miles of ice road.
Agate Bay Resort
Isle
Call for current rates
Barnacles Resort & Campground
Aitkin
From $2,465–$2,740 / season (year) · 2026–27
Barneveld's Resort
Aitkin
Call for current rates
Castaways Resort
Isle
Call for current rates
Nitti's Hunters Point Resort
Isle
Call for current rates
The Red Door Resort
Aitkin
Call for current rates
II. On the water
What a guided day costs
| Boat | Full day | Typical | Half day | Typical | Operators |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guide boat, 1–2 anglers | $600–$750 | $700 | $450–$500 | $500 | 3 |
| Guide boat, up to 3–4 anglers | $650 | $650 | $450 | $450 | 1 |
"Typical" is the median of published rates. Most operators don't put a year on their rates.
Independent guides
Lodges that run their own guides are listed with the lodges above.
| Guide | Full day | Half day | Boat | Species |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st K Guide Service (Kyle Lynn)Isle | $650 | $450 | Guide boat, up to 3–4 | walleye, northern pike, smallmouth bass, perch |
| Brad Hawthorne's Guide ServiceGarrison | $750 | $500 | Guide boat, 1–2 anglers | walleye, smallmouth bass, northern pike, perch, crappie |
| Garrison Sports Bait and Tackle & Launch ServiceGarrison | Call | – | ||
| Kosloski Outdoors LLC (Capt. Alan Kosloski)Isle | $600 | $450 | Guide boat, 1–2 anglers | smallmouth bass, walleye, northern pike, muskie |
| Lagoona Guide Service (Capt. Ryan Kelly)Onamia | $700 | $500 | Guide boat, 1–2 anglers | smallmouth bass, walleye, muskie, northern pike, perch, lake whitefish |
| Lake Mille Lacs Guide Service (Tim Ajax)Isle | $700 | $500 | walleye, smallmouth bass, muskie, northern pike | |
| Matt's Fishing (Matt Treno)Onamia | $700 | $500 | muskie, smallmouth bass, walleye | |
| Mille Lacs Lake GuidingAitkin | Call | – | walleye, perch | |
| Norseman Guide ServiceIsle | Call | – | smallmouth bass | |
| Roach's Guide ServiceMalmo | Call | – | walleye, smallmouth bass, crappie | |
| Terry's Boat HarborGarrison | Call | – | ||
| The Mille Lacs AnglerIsle | Call | – | ||
| Verdeja's Mille Lacs Guide Service (Mike Verdeja)Isle | Call | – | smallmouth bass, walleye, northern pike, muskie |
III. Hard water
Ice fishing: day houses and sleepers
Hunters Point, North Mille Lacs Ice Fishing and Eddy's sell ice-road passes, and Mac's Twin Bay, Rocky Reef, Randy's, Lyback's and others publish nightly sleeper rates.
| Outfitter | Day house | Sleeper | How you get out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agate Bay ResortIsle | Yes | Rates not listed; houses for 2 to 9 people plus one large winter rental unit | |
| Beachside ResortWahkon | – | Ice castles (7) and skid houses (7), each shown 'from $124/night'; 6 to 9 guests | Plowed lake roads; seasonal ice road pass sold at bait shop (price not on page opened) |
| Brad Hawthorne's Guide ServiceGarrison | Otter shelter trips: $250/person full day, $150/person evening or half day | – | guide plows to wheel house spot; $125 per spot |
| Brandt's Ice FishingOnamia | – | Yes | plowed access roads |
| Castaways ResortIsle | Yes | – | |
| Castles ResortIsle | – | No rates on page; wheelhouses, drilled and ready at arrival; book via rezstream | Facebook video and a page image name mention large ice roads; no access details |
| Del Mar Dunes Beach ResortGarrison | – | Yes | |
| Dickie's Shacks on Mille LacsIsle | Yes | – | plowed roads for skid and wheel houses |
| Eddy's ResortVineland | – | Rate not published on page. 8x18 heated house, 4 single beds, 8 holes; book through Book Now link | Ice road pass $30 public, free for hotel and ice house guests (page (c) 2026, not labeled to a season). Boat launch day pass $10 public, free for guests |
| Garrison Sports Bait and Tackle & Launch ServiceGarrison | 6x8 day house $80/day, 7am-5pm, gas heater and lights, shuttle available | 10x20 sleeper $200/night, sleeps 2-4, road passes for up to 2 cars; Sun-Wed discounts (amount not listed) | shuttle available for day house; plowed ice roads |
| Ice Camp OutfittersGarrison | – | Yes | |
| KJ's Ice FishingOnamia | – | Yes | |
| Lagoona Guide Service (Capt. Ryan Kelly)Onamia | guided ice day 8 hr: $250/person, $750 minimum | – | heated crew cab UTV pulling 21 ft heated fish house |
| Lyback's Ice FishingWahkon | basic 4-hole 8x12 $90 per 12 hr + tax | deluxe weekday 24 hr $172.50-$225; weekend $350-$525 + tax | plowed roads, ice road map published |
| Mac's Twin Bay ResortIsle | Semi-guided dayhouse $500 up to 4 people, +$50 per additional person up to 6; guide transports you to the house | Deluxe sleepers, weekend special (2 consecutive days incl. Fri or Sat) / weekday per night (Sun-Thu, 2-night min): 6 hole sleeps 2-4 $570 / $175; 8 hole sleeps 4-6 $750 / $225; 10 hole sleeps 5-7 $870 / $275; 14 hole sleeps 7-9 $1,150 / $350 | Well-plowed marked roads; reach by car, truck or four-wheeler |
| McQuoid's Inn & Event CenterIsle | – | Ice house rentals handled through macstwinbay.com | |
| Nitti's Hunters Point ResortIsle | Bunkhouse/fish house rates labeled 2022-2023 (old): 4 people 8 holes 12x16 weekend $500, 2 weekdays $250; 6 people 12 holes 12x22 $700 / $350; 8 people 18 holes 12x32 $1,000 / $500; 14 people 21 holes 16x36 $1,450 / $725; GH units (10x16, no bath) $175 | See day_house_rate; weekend rentals require the weekend package | Over 70 miles of plowed ice roads. Passes (page (c) 2026, season not stated): vehicle $20/day; wheelhouse $20/day, $40 minimum; weekend Fri-Sun $60; winter season pass no service $275; full service $575 (plowing, bathroom, house kept on lake midweek) |
| North Mille Lacs Ice FishingAitkin | – | skid houses from $174.95/night; wheelhouses from $249.95/night (2025-2026 season) | plowed ice roads, day and overnight wheelhouse passes offered, prices not listed |
| Northern Skys RV ResortsIsle | Yes | – | |
| Randy's Rentals and ResortOnamia | Portable (#17-19): $60 for 8 hrs per page note (Eskimo 2-4 person $60, Eskimo 6 person $70, Clam 6 person $80 per description). Spear houses #11 $140/9 hrs or $100/5 hrs; #15 $140/8 hrs or $100/5 hrs | Sleeper bunk houses per 24 hrs: #1 10x20 8 bunks $225; #2 $180; #3 $160; #4 $160; #5 $150; #6 $140; #7 $150; #8 $140; #9 $150; #10 8x12 $80; #12 $170; #14 $150; #16 8x27 $225. Midweek specials: call | Fish houses in the Vineland Bay area; ice road access link has no details |
| Rocky Reef ResortOnamia | – | Per page, plus tax, undated: houses #1, #12, #13, #14 $275; #2, #3, #4, #5, #15 $300 per 24 hrs; #1 36 hrs $400, 48 hrs $500. Home page lists 4-bunk special $250/24 hrs Mon-Thu. Family special $150/24 hrs up to 4 people Mon-Wed | Resort says it maintains lake access and a road to all its fish houses; ice road for single and double axle ice castles |
| Terry's Boat HarborGarrison | – | Yes | plowed winter road system, road pass included with rental; moving houses extra |
| Twin Pines ResortGarrison | Rates by house, undated: 4-hole 8x12 house $100 (weekday 12 hr), $125 (weekday 24 hr), $150 (weekend 12 hr), $225 (weekend 24 hr), $295 (Fri 5pm-Sun noon); 14-hole 14x36 house $495-$695 weekday, $900 weekend 24 hr, $1,495 Fri-Sun. 9 house types listed | Houses sleep 2 to 14; see day_house_rate; Fri 5pm-Sun noon package $295 to $1,495 |
IV. The almanac
Seasons at a glance
- May 9, 2026Walleye and pike seasons open. Walleye limit 3, 17 inches or longer, one over 20.
- May 11 – August 31Night closure: no fishing 10 p.m. – 6 a.m.
- May 23Bass harvest opens (3 combined, under 17 inches, one smallmouth).
- Early May – Labor DayGarrison Sports runs three launch trips a day.
- June 6 – November 30Muskie season (1 fish, 54-inch minimum). Night fishing opens to muskie and pike anglers with lures over 8 inches.
- September 14Smallmouth bass go back to catch-and-release.
- October 1 – November 30Eddy's Resort is closed between seasons.
- February 28, 2027Walleye and largemouth seasons close.
- March 1, 2027Every fish house must be off the ice by midnight.
- March 31, 2027Pike season closes.
Fishing dates are from the DNR's 2026 Mille Lacs rule and statewide regulations; resort and launch dates from the operators' own pages. The DNR said in March that the open-water walleye rule runs through November 30, so check for winter limits.
V. Field notes
Shared harvest and the ice roads
- The 2026 walleye harvest share is 105,300 pounds for state-licensed anglers and 79,700 pounds for tribal fishing. If the state's catch runs high, the DNR can switch to catch-and-release for part of the season.
- Hunters Point sells ice-road passes at $20 a day for a vehicle, $60 for Friday to Sunday, and $275 for a winter pass without service.
- North Mille Lacs Ice Fishing runs roads from the Red Door access on Highway 18: $25 a weekday, $50 a weekend or $250 a season for a vehicle.
- Eddy's sells a public ice-road pass for $30 and a day launch pass for $10; both are free for its guests.
VI. Regulations
Fishing rules
2026–27 season (May 9, 2026 – February 28, 2027)
- Walleye: 3 a day, each 17 inches or longer, and only one over 20 inches. Every walleye under 17 inches goes back. In effect from May 9, 2026.
- No culling or live-well sorting once a fish is kept, except bass.
- Northern pike: May 9, 2026 – March 31, 2027. 5 a day; release every pike over 30 inches up to 36 inches; only one over 36 inches.
- Bass: catch-and-release is open all year. Harvest opens May 23: largemouth to February 28, 2027, smallmouth to September 13, 2026. 3 combined, each under 17 inches, only one of them a smallmouth.
- Night closure: no fishing from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. from May 11 until 6 a.m. August 31, 2026. From 10 p.m. June 6, muskie and pike anglers may fish at night with lures or sucker minnows over 8 inches.
- Muskie: June 6 – November 30, 1 fish, 54-inch minimum.
- Yellow perch 5 a day, tullibee 10 a day. Burbot are catch-and-release only.
- Fish houses must be off the ice by midnight on March 1, 2027.
From the DNR's 2026 Mille Lacs emergency rule and the 2026 Minnesota Fishing Regulations. The DNR can change Mille Lacs limits during the season to keep the state within its harvest share; changes are posted at the accesses and at mndnr.gov/millelacslake. Check before you fish.
VII. Asked at the dock
Questions people ask
How much does a fishing guide cost on Mille Lacs Lake?
A guide boat for 1–2 anglers runs $600–$750 for a full day. A guide boat for up to 3–4 anglers runs $650–$650 for a full day. Rates are per boat, not per person, and usually include bait and gas.
What's the walleye limit on Mille Lacs?
3 walleye a day for 2026, each 17 inches or longer, with only one over 20 inches. The DNR can change it during the season.
What does a launch trip cost on Mille Lacs?
Walk-on launch trips of about four hours are $45–$50 per adult: Fisher's lists $45 for 2026, and Twin Pines, Garrison Sports and Terry's list $50.
What does a fishing guide cost on Mille Lacs?
Published half-day trips run $450–$500 and full days $600–$750 per boat, for one to two anglers (up to three with 1st K).
Can you rent an ice house on Mille Lacs?
Yes. Mac's Twin Bay, Rocky Reef, Randy's, Lyback's, North Mille Lacs Ice Fishing and Garrison Sports publish nightly sleeper rates, and several resorts plow ice roads.
Sources and photo credits
Photos: Mille Lacs Winter Sunrise (39994283415), Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0; Garrison, Minnesota-05-Garrison Bay and memorial, Myotus, CC BY-SA 4.0; Mille Lacs Lake, Father Hennepin State Park, Minnesota, September 9, 2013 (10551331306), Mike Goad, CC0; Malmo Town Hall and field, Malmo, MN, Myotus, CC BY 4.0.
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