black crappie Lakes in Minnesota & Wisconsin

Other SpeciesFound in 1,310 lakes

black crappie is a rough-fish species — typically common in productive, nutrient-rich lakes, sometimes treated as a management nuisance by anglers targeting game-fish. 1,310 lakes carry documentation. With 1,310 Minnesota lakes and 0 in Wisconsin documenting black crappie, the species is one of the more accessible targets in the dataset.

Rough-fish-dominant lakes are worth checking the grade on: a rough-fish-heavy fishery often reflects an underlying nutrient-loading problem in the watershed. Cross-reference the black crappie lake list below against the LakeGrade rubric: lakes with both an A or B grade and black crappie documented are the best places to start for recreational targeting.

1,310

Total Lakes

1,310

Minnesota

Wisconsin

Avg. Grade

45 ft

Avg. Depth

Water Quality of black crappie Lakes

418

32%

300

23%

277

21%

189

14%

126

10%

Best black crappie Lakes by Water Quality

Top 50 lakes with black crappie ranked by overall water quality grade.

Rank	Lake	County	State	Grade	Depth	Species
1	East Fox Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	65 ft	15
2	Deep Portage Lake	Cass	MN	A	105 ft	9
3	Lower Hay Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	100 ft	21
4	Latoka Lake	Douglas	MN	A	108 ft	16
5	Bad Medicine Lake	Becker	MN	A	84 ft	13
6	Big Sugar Bush Lake	Becker	MN	A	42 ft	13
7	Pelican Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	55 ft	20
8	Birch Lake	Wright	MN	A	52 ft	9
9	Round Lake	Aitkin	MN	A	59 ft	15
10	Pike Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	60 ft	9
11	Whitefish Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	138 ft	23
12	Horseshoe Lake	Cass	MN	A	51 ft	12
13	Long Lake	Clearwater	MN	A	80 ft	15
14	Long Lake	Cass	MN	A	115 ft	14
15	Long Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	87 ft	11
16	Long Lake	Becker	MN	A	61 ft	16
17	Long Lake	Cass	MN	A	37 ft	12
18	Long Lake	Itasca	MN	A	72 ft	10
19	Long Lake	Itasca	MN	A	85 ft	12
20	Dead Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	34 ft	9
21	Unnamed Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	95 ft	17
22	Maple Lake	Itasca	MN	A	39 ft	13
23	Shallow Lake	Itasca	MN	A	85 ft	12
24	Trout Lake	Itasca	MN	A	135 ft	15
25	Chippewa Lake	Douglas	MN	A	95 ft	19
26	Otter Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	64 ft	7
27	Cowdry Lake	Douglas	MN	A	52 ft	19
28	Ossawinnamakee Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	63 ft	18
29	Clear Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	63 ft	15
30	Clear Lake	Aitkin	MN	A	24 ft	14
31	Clear Lake	Itasca	MN	A	30 ft	9
32	Blue Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	84 ft	13
33	West Fox Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	55 ft	15
34	Spearhead Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	81 ft	17
35	Ida Lake	Douglas	MN	A	106 ft	19
36	Star Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	83 ft	12
37	Star Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	94 ft	17
38	Upper Maple Lake	Wright	MN	A	76 ft	15
39	Partridge Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	42 ft	10
40	Fish Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	69 ft	17
41	Sand Lake	Cass	MN	A	54 ft	12
42	Roger Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	64 ft	12
43	Andrusia Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	60 ft	21
44	Girl Lake	Cass	MN	A	81 ft	18
45	Little Toad Lake	Becker	MN	A	65 ft	15
46	Charlotte Lake	Wright	MN	A	46 ft	10
47	Big Mcdonald Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	46 ft	15
48	Bass Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	47 ft	14
49	Bass Lake	Cass	MN	A	55 ft	12
50	Island Lake	Cass	MN	A	45 ft	12

Showing top 50 of 1,310 lakes with black crappie.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many lakes have black crappie?

black crappie are found in 1,310 lakes across Minnesota and Wisconsin, 1,310 in Minnesota and 0 in Wisconsin. The average water quality grade of lakes with black crappie is C (Fair).

What are the best lakes for black crappie?

The best black crappie lakes by water quality are East Fox Lake, Deep Portage Lake, Lower Hay Lake, Latoka Lake, Bad Medicine Lake. These lakes have the highest water quality grades among all lakes where black crappie have been documented by state DNR surveys.

What other fish are found with black crappie?

black crappie are most commonly found alongside bluegill, northern pike, yellow perch, largemouth bass, pumpkinseed. These species share similar habitat preferences in the region's lakes.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.