Fishing the Boundary Waters
117lakes with fish data
The same clean, cold, deep water that earns these lakes their grades also grows exceptional fish. Cold, oxygen-rich oligotrophic basins are ideal lake trout habitat — a species that vanishes from warmer, murkier lakes — while rocky, clear shorelines produce strong smallmouth bass, and the classic walleye and northern pike are nearly everywhere.
Find a lake by species
Filter the map to the lakes that hold each species. Colors are water-quality grades.
Lake Trout & Coldwater
Deep, cold, oxygen-rich oligotrophic lakes are lake-trout country — few places in the Lower 48 have more of them.
| Lake | County | Grade | Clarity | Max depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gunflint Lake | Cook | A | 16.5 ft | 200 ft |
| Flour Lake | Cook | A | 18.2 ft | 75 ft |
| Burntside Lake | St. Louis | A | 16 ft | 126 ft |
| Fall Lake | Lake | A | 5.5 ft | 32 ft |
| Loon Lake | Cook | A | 17.4 ft | 202 ft |
| Sea Gull Lake | Cook | A | 14.3 ft | 40 ft |
| Birch Lake | Cook | A | 18 ft | 69 ft |
| Farm Lake | Lake | A | 5.5 ft | 56 ft |
| Mayhew Lake | Cook | A | 20.6 ft | 84 ft |
| Bearskin Lake | Cook | A | 21 ft | 78 ft |
Walleye
The classic Boundary Waters table fish, strongest on the larger, structure-rich lakes.
| Lake | County | Grade | Clarity | Max depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burntside Lake | St. Louis | A | 16 ft | 126 ft |
| Fall Lake | Lake | A | 5.5 ft | 32 ft |
| Gunflint Lake | Cook | A | 16.5 ft | 200 ft |
| Loon Lake | Cook | A | 17.4 ft | 202 ft |
| Sea Gull Lake | Cook | A | 14.3 ft | 40 ft |
| Bearskin Lake | Cook | A | 21 ft | 78 ft |
| Big Lake | St. Louis | A | 8.2 ft | 22 ft |
| Ed Shave Lake | St. Louis | A | 11.5 ft | 17 ft |
| Farm Lake | Lake | A | 5.5 ft | 56 ft |
| Flour Lake | Cook | A | 18.2 ft | 75 ft |
Smallmouth Bass
Smallmouth thrive on the rocky shorelines and clear water — an increasingly popular BWCA target.
| Lake | County | Grade | Clarity | Max depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burntside Lake | St. Louis | A | 16 ft | 126 ft |
| Fall Lake | Lake | A | 5.5 ft | 32 ft |
| Gunflint Lake | Cook | A | 16.5 ft | 200 ft |
| Loon Lake | Cook | A | 17.4 ft | 202 ft |
| Big Lake | St. Louis | A | 8.2 ft | 22 ft |
| Farm Lake | Lake | A | 5.5 ft | 56 ft |
| Fenske Lake | St. Louis | A | 11.5 ft | 43 ft |
| Isabella Lake | Lake | A | 4.4 ft | 19 ft |
| Sea Gull Lake | Cook | A | 14.3 ft | 40 ft |
| Bearskin Lake | Cook | A | 21 ft | 78 ft |
Northern Pike
Aggressive and everywhere, pike lurk in the weedy bays of nearly every lake.
| Lake | County | Grade | Clarity | Max depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burntside Lake | St. Louis | A | 16 ft | 126 ft |
| Fall Lake | Lake | A | 5.5 ft | 32 ft |
| Gunflint Lake | Cook | A | 16.5 ft | 200 ft |
| Loon Lake | Cook | A | 17.4 ft | 202 ft |
| Sea Gull Lake | Cook | A | 14.3 ft | 40 ft |
| Bearskin Lake | Cook | A | 21 ft | 78 ft |
| Big Lake | St. Louis | A | 8.2 ft | 22 ft |
| Farm Lake | Lake | A | 5.5 ft | 56 ft |
| Fenske Lake | St. Louis | A | 11.5 ft | 43 ft |
| Flour Lake | Cook | A | 18.2 ft | 75 ft |
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Frequently Asked Questions
The headline species are walleye, northern pike, smallmouth bass, and lake trout, plus panfish, whitefish, and cisco. Lake trout are the specialty — they need the cold, deep, well-oxygenated water that oligotrophic Boundary Waters lakes provide.
Lake trout hold in the deepest, clearest lakes. Use the species filter on the map above to see exactly which graded lakes carry them — we only list a species when it appears in that lake's survey record.
Yes, within Minnesota limits — but note the mercury advisory. Larger predator fish (walleye, pike, and especially larger lake trout) carry more mercury, so the Minnesota Department of Health recommends meal-frequency limits. See our fish-consumption guide.
Fish-species data: Minnesota DNR lake survey records. A species is listed only where it appears in a lake’s survey.