bluegill Lakes in Minnesota

Found in 1,365 Minnesota lakes

bluegill is a rough-fish species — typically common in productive, nutrient-rich lakes, sometimes treated as a management nuisance by anglers targeting game-fish. 1,365 lakes carry documentation. With 1,365 Minnesota lakes and 0 in Wisconsin documenting bluegill, 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 bluegill lake list below against the LakeGrade rubric: lakes with both an A or B grade and bluegill documented are the best places to start for recreational targeting.

1,365

Minnesota Lakes

Avg. Grade

444

Grade A Lakes

Counties

Best bluegill 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	Little Wabana Lake	Itasca	A	23.8 ft	57 ft
4	Lower Hay Lake	Crow Wing	A	19 ft	100 ft
5	Latoka Lake	Douglas	A	19 ft	108 ft
6	Bad Medicine Lake	Becker	A	25 ft	84 ft
7	Big Sugar Bush Lake	Becker	A	17 ft	42 ft
8	Pelican Lake	Otter Tail	A	16.1 ft	55 ft
9	Birch Lake	Wright	A	15 ft	52 ft
10	Birch Lake	Unknown	A	15 ft	34 ft
11	Round Lake	Aitkin	A	15.3 ft	59 ft
12	Pike Lake	St. Louis	A	18 ft	60 ft
13	Whitefish Lake	Crow Wing	A	15.1 ft	138 ft
14	Horseshoe Lake	Cass	A	21 ft	51 ft
15	Long Lake	Clearwater	A	20 ft	80 ft
16	Long Lake	Cass	A	21.8 ft	115 ft
17	Long Lake	Beltrami	A	20 ft	87 ft
18	Long Lake	Becker	A	20 ft	61 ft
19	Long Lake	Cass	A	16.8 ft	37 ft
20	Long Lake	Itasca	A	16.7 ft	72 ft
21	Long Lake	Itasca	A	16.9 ft	85 ft
22	Dead Lake	Hubbard	A	16 ft	34 ft
23	Unnamed Lake	Otter Tail	A	15.1 ft	95 ft
24	Maple Lake	Itasca	A	15.3 ft	39 ft
25	Shallow Lake	Itasca	A	16.4 ft	85 ft
26	Trout Lake	Itasca	A	15.5 ft	135 ft
27	Chippewa Lake	Douglas	A	15.1 ft	95 ft
28	Otter Lake	Otter Tail	A	18 ft	64 ft
29	Cowdry Lake	Douglas	A	17 ft	52 ft
30	Ossawinnamakee Lake	Crow Wing	A	20 ft	63 ft
31	Clear Lake	Crow Wing	A	18 ft	63 ft
32	Clear Lake	Aitkin	A	16 ft	24 ft
33	Clear Lake	Itasca	A	14.9 ft	30 ft
34	Blue Lake	Hubbard	A	17.4 ft	84 ft
35	Eagle Lake	Otter Tail	A	22.6 ft	46 ft
36	West Fox Lake	Crow Wing	A	15 ft	55 ft
37	Spearhead Lake	Hubbard	A	15 ft	81 ft
38	Ida Lake	Douglas	A	16.5 ft	106 ft
39	Star Lake	Crow Wing	A	19 ft	83 ft
40	Star Lake	Otter Tail	A	16.7 ft	94 ft
41	Upper Maple Lake	Wright	A	18 ft	76 ft
42	Partridge Lake	Crow Wing	A	16.2 ft	42 ft
43	Fish Lake	Otter Tail	A	17.8 ft	69 ft
44	Sand Lake	Cass	A	21 ft	54 ft
45	Roger Lake	Crow Wing	A	16 ft	64 ft
46	Square Lake	Washington	A	17 ft	68 ft
47	Andrusia Lake	Beltrami	A	15.5 ft	60 ft
48	Girl Lake	Cass	A	17 ft	81 ft
49	Little Toad Lake	Becker	A	15 ft	65 ft
50	Charlotte Lake	Wright	A	17.1 ft	46 ft

Showing top 50 of 1,365 lakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Minnesota lakes have bluegill?

bluegill are found in 1,365 lakes in Minnesota. The average water quality grade of these lakes is C (Fair).

What are the best bluegill lakes in Minnesota?

The best bluegill lakes in Minnesota by water quality are East Fox Lake, Deep Portage Lake, Little Wabana Lake, Lower Hay Lake, Latoka Lake.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.