Brown Bullhead Fishing Guide: 861 Lakes by Water Quality

A mottled, hardy catfish of weedy lakes and ponds, slightly more clarity-tolerant than the black bullhead.

Brown Bullhead fits the catfish niche: tolerant of warm, turbid water, often present in productive (eutrophic) lakes. 861 lakes in our dataset have a record. Brown Bullhead is widely distributed: 809 lakes in Minnesota and 52 in Michigan. That breadth means anglers across most of the coverage area can find a documented Brown Bullhead lake within a reasonable drive.

Catfish-bearing lakes are often productive systems — the kind where the fish do well even when clarity does not. Cross-reference the Brown Bullhead lake list below against each lake's clarity, phosphorus and algae readings: lakes with low nutrient readings and Brown Bullhead documented are the best places to start for recreational targeting.

Where they live

Weedy, soft-bottom shallows and bays.

Water quality they need

Tolerant of warm, fertile water but does best in somewhat cleaner, vegetated lakes than the black bullhead.

When to catch them

Warm months, feeding on the bottom by scent.

861

Total Lakes

809

Minnesota lakes →

Michigan lakes →

46 ft

Avg. Depth

Best Brown Bullhead Lakes by Water Quality

Top 50 lakes with brown bullhead, ranked on nutrient and algae readings.

Rank	Lake	County	State	Depth	Species
1	Lobster Lake	Douglas	MN	65 ft	18
2	East Fox Lake	Crow Wing	MN	65 ft	15
3	Clearwater Lake	Wright	MN	73 ft	17
4	Clearwater Lake	Crow Wing	MN	54 ft	16
5	Lower Hay Lake	Crow Wing	MN	100 ft	21
6	Little Birch Lake	Todd	MN	89 ft	20
7	North Long Lake	Crow Wing	MN	97 ft	18
8	Mud Lake	Becker	MN	34 ft	16
9	Big Lake	Beltrami	MN	35 ft	17
10	Big Lake	Carlton	MN	25 ft	9
11	Big Lake	Sherburne	MN	48 ft	14
12	Big Sugar Bush Lake	Becker	MN	42 ft	13
13	Pelican Lake	Otter Tail	MN	55 ft	20
14	Pelican Lake	Crow Wing	MN	104 ft	17
15	Birch Lake	Wright	MN	52 ft	9
16	Birch Lake	Cass	MN	45 ft	14
17	Round Lake	Aitkin	MN	125 ft	18
18	Round Lake	Crow Wing	MN	51 ft	20
19	Round Lake	Becker	MN	69 ft	18
20	Ada Lake	Cass	MN	60 ft	16
21	Whitefish Lake	Crow Wing	MN	138 ft	23
22	Whitefish Lake	Beltrami	MN	30 ft	12
23	Horseshoe Lake	Crow Wing	MN	56 ft	11
24	Farm Lake	Lake	MN	56 ft	12
25	Washburn Lake	Cass	MN	111 ft	21
26	Long Lake	Kandiyohi	MN	46 ft	15
27	Long Lake	Clearwater	MN	80 ft	15
28	Long Lake	Cass	MN	115 ft	14
29	Long Lake	Beltrami	MN	87 ft	11
30	Long Lake	Otter Tail	MN	128 ft	16
31	Long Lake	Becker	MN	61 ft	16
32	Long Lake	Hubbard	MN	135 ft	14
33	Long Lake	Otter Tail	MN	73 ft	17
34	Long Lake	Itasca	MN	85 ft	12
35	Dead Lake	Hubbard	MN	34 ft	9
36	Dead Lake	Otter Tail	MN	65 ft	18
37	Maple Lake	Douglas	MN	78 ft	17
38	West Twin Lake	Crow Wing	MN	42 ft	12
39	Shallow Lake	Hubbard	MN	10 ft	13
40	Detroit Lake	Becker	MN	89 ft	19
41	Sallie Lake	Becker	MN	50 ft	16
42	Deer Lake	Beltrami	MN	42 ft	14
43	Deer Lake	Otter Tail	MN	26 ft	16
44	Deer Lake	Itasca	MN	50 ft	15
45	Chippewa Lake	Douglas	MN	95 ft	19
46	Lida Lake	Otter Tail	MN	58 ft	20
47	Cowdry Lake	Douglas	MN	52 ft	19
48	Big Spunk Lake	Stearns	MN	38 ft	19
49	Ossawinnamakee Lake	Crow Wing	MN	63 ft	18
50	Florida Lake	Kandiyohi	MN	40 ft	18

Showing top 50 of 861 lakes with brown bullhead.

Frequently Asked Questions

What water quality do brown bullhead need?

Tolerant of warm, fertile water but does best in somewhat cleaner, vegetated lakes than the black bullhead.

How many lakes have brown bullhead?

Brown Bullhead are documented in 861 lakes: 809 in Minnesota, 52 in Michigan.

What are the best lakes for brown bullhead?

The best brown bullhead lakes by water quality are Lobster Lake, East Fox Lake, Clearwater Lake, Clearwater Lake, Lower Hay Lake. These lakes carry the lowest nutrient and algae readings among all lakes where brown bullhead have been documented by state DNR surveys.

What other fish are found with brown bullhead?

Brown Bullhead are most commonly found alongside brown bullhead, northern pike, black crappie, bluegill, largemouth bass. These species share similar habitat preferences in the region's lakes.

Other Fish Species in Brown Bullhead Lakes

Northern Pike Lakes

Found together in 799 lakes · 2,386 total

Black Crappie Lakes

Found together in 796 lakes · 1,386 total

Bluegill Lakes

Found together in 794 lakes · 1,550 total

Largemouth Bass Lakes

Found together in 780 lakes · 2,489 total

Pumpkinseed Lakes

Found together in 771 lakes · 1,328 total

Yellow Perch Lakes

Found together in 770 lakes · 1,577 total

Fish species from state agency survey, stocking, and public fishing-access records; water-quality readings from the EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys. Species profiles are general reference; always check current state regulations before fishing.