Central Minnesota's Lake Mille Lacs is an excellent answer for those looking for a high-quality fishing vacation within a reasonable distance.

Mille Lacs supports a fishery that is as varied as it is good, and it offers world-class opportunities for walleye, smallmouth bass and muskellunge.

Even by Minnesota standards, a state that boasts being the land of 10,000 lakes, Mille Lacs is a huge body of water. The second largest in the state, it covers 132,000 acres.

To put it in perspective, the largest lake in Pennsylvania, Pymatuning at 13,000 acres, is roughly a tenth of the size. But like Pymatuning, Mille Lacs is relatively shallow. Its diverse habitat includes mud flats, rocky reefs and shoals, features that affect the lake's fishing patterns.

Mille Lacs has long been recognized as the walleye factory of the upper Midwest, where fishing for that species is as revered as white-tailed deer hunting is around here.

Fishing for old marble eyes has been especially productive in recent years, thanks in part to a protective slot limit established by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

Last spring, anglers were allowed to harvest four walleyes up to 20 inches and one more than 28 inches. The DNR manages Mille Lacs' walleye fishery in concert with annual harvests by the Chippewa Indian Band. As such, it is subject to creel/length limit adjustments within each season.

But even when more restrictive limits are put in place, there is still excellent catch-and-release walleye fishing.

Although smallmouth bass receive less attention than walleyes, the Mille Lacs brown bass population is an exceptional one, with angler attention on the rise, according to MDNR surveys.

A daily creel limit of only one fish, at least 21 inches in length, ensures the future of this species. Rocky shoals and shorelines tend to attract smallmouth bass. During a trip made to the lake last summer, I caught numerous smallies up to 20-inches long.

Capturing much of the angling headlines of late has been the Mille Lacs muskie fishery. Comprised of both Wisconsin and Leech Lake strains of muskellunge, the food-rich environment of Mille Lacs has bolstered the fish's growth rate and growth potential.

Relatively new inhabitants of the lake — muskies were first stocked in Mille Lacs about 20 years ago — fish in the 40-pound range have been showing up with regularity.

Several muskies that might have eclipsed the state record of 54 pounds have been caught and released during the past couple of seasons.

Discussions about waters with world-record muskie potential include Mille Lacs. Currently, the lake is providing a window in which muskies are large and numerous, but it's not likely to remain open for long.

Yellow perch are abundant in Mille Lacs. This panfish provides an important fish species. Larger individuals contribute to the angling resource, while younger perch add to the available forage.

Due to its size, as well as safety considerations, Mille Lacs can be a tough place for the angler who is unfamiliar with it. Fortunately, numerous guide services exist around the lake.

Generally, guides work out of the many lodges, called resorts in this part of the country, that rim the lake's shoreline. Top resorts like McQuiod's Inn (www.mcquoidsinn.com) in Isle, Minn., furnish not only lodging, but dining and fishing guides as well. Bait and tackle stores are nearby.