black crappie Lakes in Minnesota

Found in 1,310 Minnesota 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. black crappie is widely distributed: 1,310 lakes in Minnesota and 0 in Wisconsin. That breadth means anglers in most counties of either state can find a documented black crappie lake within a reasonable drive.

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

Minnesota Lakes

Avg. Grade

418

Grade A Lakes

Counties

Best black crappie Lakes in Minnesota

Rank	Lake	County	Grade	Clarity	Depth
1	East Fox Lake	Crow Wing	A	16.1 ft	65 ft
2	Deep Portage Lake	Cass	A	15.4 ft	105 ft
3	Lower Hay Lake	Crow Wing	A	19 ft	100 ft
4	Latoka Lake	Douglas	A	19 ft	108 ft
5	Bad Medicine Lake	Becker	A	25 ft	84 ft
6	Big Sugar Bush Lake	Becker	A	17 ft	42 ft
7	Pelican Lake	Otter Tail	A	16.1 ft	55 ft
8	Birch Lake	Wright	A	15 ft	52 ft
9	Round Lake	Aitkin	A	15.3 ft	59 ft
10	Pike Lake	St. Louis	A	18 ft	60 ft
11	Whitefish Lake	Crow Wing	A	15.1 ft	138 ft
12	Horseshoe Lake	Cass	A	21 ft	51 ft
13	Long Lake	Clearwater	A	20 ft	80 ft
14	Long Lake	Cass	A	21.8 ft	115 ft
15	Long Lake	Beltrami	A	20 ft	87 ft
16	Long Lake	Becker	A	20 ft	61 ft
17	Long Lake	Cass	A	16.8 ft	37 ft
18	Long Lake	Itasca	A	16.7 ft	72 ft
19	Long Lake	Itasca	A	16.9 ft	85 ft
20	Dead Lake	Hubbard	A	16 ft	34 ft
21	Unnamed Lake	Otter Tail	A	15.1 ft	95 ft
22	Maple Lake	Itasca	A	15.3 ft	39 ft
23	Shallow Lake	Itasca	A	16.4 ft	85 ft
24	Trout Lake	Itasca	A	15.5 ft	135 ft
25	Chippewa Lake	Douglas	A	15.1 ft	95 ft
26	Otter Lake	Otter Tail	A	18 ft	64 ft
27	Cowdry Lake	Douglas	A	17 ft	52 ft
28	Ossawinnamakee Lake	Crow Wing	A	20 ft	63 ft
29	Clear Lake	Crow Wing	A	18 ft	63 ft
30	Clear Lake	Aitkin	A	16 ft	24 ft
31	Clear Lake	Itasca	A	14.9 ft	30 ft
32	Blue Lake	Hubbard	A	17.4 ft	84 ft
33	West Fox Lake	Crow Wing	A	15 ft	55 ft
34	Spearhead Lake	Hubbard	A	15 ft	81 ft
35	Ida Lake	Douglas	A	16.5 ft	106 ft
36	Star Lake	Crow Wing	A	19 ft	83 ft
37	Star Lake	Otter Tail	A	16.7 ft	94 ft
38	Upper Maple Lake	Wright	A	18 ft	76 ft
39	Partridge Lake	Crow Wing	A	16.2 ft	42 ft
40	Fish Lake	Otter Tail	A	17.8 ft	69 ft
41	Sand Lake	Cass	A	21 ft	54 ft
42	Roger Lake	Crow Wing	A	16 ft	64 ft
43	Andrusia Lake	Beltrami	A	15.5 ft	60 ft
44	Girl Lake	Cass	A	17 ft	81 ft
45	Little Toad Lake	Becker	A	15 ft	65 ft
46	Charlotte Lake	Wright	A	17.1 ft	46 ft
47	Big Mcdonald Lake	Otter Tail	A	16.4 ft	46 ft
48	Bass Lake	Crow Wing	A	16.1 ft	47 ft
49	Bass Lake	Cass	A	-	55 ft
50	Island Lake	Cass	A	15 ft	45 ft

Showing top 50 of 1,310 lakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Minnesota lakes have black crappie?

black crappie are found in 1,310 lakes in Minnesota. The average water quality grade of these lakes is C (Fair).

What are the best black crappie lakes in Minnesota?

The best black crappie lakes in Minnesota by water quality are East Fox Lake, Deep Portage Lake, Lower Hay Lake, Latoka Lake, Bad Medicine Lake.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.