Best Ice Fishing Lakes in Minnesota, Walleye + Crappie + Pike

Plan a hard-water trip in Minnesota from this list. Every lake on it has public access, at least 10 feet of depth, and walleye, crappie, perch, bluegill, or pike on its fish survey. Use the depth and species columns to pick a base, then check local ice reports before you go.

Ice-fishing rankings admit lakes with public access, at least 10 feet of depth, and a winter-target species on the fish survey (walleye, crappie, perch, bluegill, pike, or panfish), then order them by water-quality grade and how many of those species the lake holds. Broadwater Bay Lake (A) leads the Minnesota list.

The letter is planning proof for clarity and nutrients under the ice. It says nothing about ice thickness, which LakeQuality does not measure for any lake; check local ice reports and agency guidance before you go.

Rank	Lake	County	State	Grade	Clarity	Area	Depth
1	Broadwater Bay Lake	Cass	MN	A	14.4 ft	5,520 acres	54 ft
2	Spider (Ne Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	17.1 ft	570 acres	96 ft
3	Little Sand Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	20 ft	410 acres	80 ft
4	Hattie Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	12.5 ft	359 acres	39 ft
5	Shallow Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	8.2 ft	284 acres	10 ft
6	Pierz Lake	Morrison	MN	A	9.5 ft	189 acres	34 ft
7	Moon Lake	Douglas	MN	A	21 ft	139 acres	38 ft
8	Steamboat Bay Lake	Cass	MN	A	9.8 ft	103,444 acres	150 ft
9	Kabekona Bay Lake	Cass	MN	A	17.2 ft	103,444 acres	150 ft
10	Cass Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	18.5 ft	15,958 acres	120 ft
11	Otter Tail Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	12.1 ft	14,079 acres	120 ft
12	Gull Lake	Cass	MN	A	15 ft	10,010 acres	80 ft
13	Pelican Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	14.3 ft	8,367 acres	104 ft
14	Minnewaska Lake	Pope	MN	A	11 ft	8,050 acres	32 ft
15	Whitefish Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	14.4 ft	7,714 acres	138 ft
16	Dead Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	10.2 ft	7,546 acres	65 ft
17	Burntside Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	16 ft	7,314 acres	126 ft
18	Pokegama Lake	Itasca	MN	A	16.1 ft	6,721 acres	112 ft
19	Bemidji Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	12.5 ft	6,596 acres	76 ft
20	North Long Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	15.1 ft	6,190 acres	97 ft
21	Miltona Lake	Douglas	MN	A	18.7 ft	5,731 acres	105 ft
22	West Battle Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	18 ft	5,615 acres	108 ft
23	Green Lake	Kandiyohi	MN	A	14.1 ft	5,569 acres	110 ft
24	Lida Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	14 ft	5,523 acres	58 ft
25	Ten Mile Lake	Cass	MN	A	20.5 ft	5,080 acres	208 ft
26	Cass Lake Pike Bay	Cass	MN	A	13.6 ft	4,756 acres	95 ft
27	Star Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	17 ft	4,486 acres	94 ft
28	Ida Lake	Douglas	MN	A	16.4 ft	4,445 acres	106 ft
29	Deer Lake	Itasca	MN	A	13.1 ft	4,093 acres	121 ft
30	Pelican Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	16.4 ft	3,962 acres	55 ft
31	Big Cormorant Lake	Becker	MN	A	24.8 ft	3,657 acres	75 ft
32	Big Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	9.7 ft	3,598 acres	35 ft
33	Little Big Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	9.3 ft	3,598 acres	35 ft
34	Jessie Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	4.6 ft	3,598 acres	35 ft
35	Boy Lake	Cass	MN	A	10.5 ft	3,308 acres	45 ft
36	White Iron Lake	Lake	MN	A	4.5 ft	3,237 acres	47 ft
37	Clearwater Lake	Wright	MN	A	9.8 ft	3,187 acres	73 ft
38	Shell Lake	Becker	MN	A	7.3 ft	3,147 acres	16 ft
39	Detroit Lake	Becker	MN	A	14 ft	3,067 acres	89 ft
40	Alexander Lake	Morrison	MN	A	16.5 ft	2,709 acres	64 ft
41	Edward Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	15.5 ft	2,628 acres	75 ft
42	Carlos Lake	Douglas	MN	A	18 ft	2,605 acres	163 ft
43	Clitherall Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	14.1 ft	2,540 acres	69 ft
44	Plantagenet Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	7 ft	2,531 acres	65 ft
45	Swan Lake	Itasca	MN	A	13.5 ft	2,456 acres	65 ft
46	Mary Lake	Douglas	MN	A	10.5 ft	2,450 acres	40 ft
47	Kabekona Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	12.1 ft	2,433 acres	133 ft
48	White Bear Lake	Washington	MN	A	14.4 ft	2,428 acres	83 ft
49	Bear Island Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	7 ft	2,362 acres	62 ft
50	Bay Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	18.5 ft	2,330 acres	74 ft

We do not measure ice

We do not measure ice. Agency minimums (for example Minnesota DNR guidance on clear ice) are not lake-specific readings and are not a safety clearance. Check local ice reports before you go. Ice thickness guidelines

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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.