Channel Catfish Lakes in Minnesota

Found in 136 Minnesota lakes · 19 in North Dakota

Channel Catfish fits the catfish niche: tolerant of warm, turbid water, often present in productive (eutrophic) lakes. 19 lakes in our dataset have a record. Channel Catfish is narrowly distributed — only 19 lakes in North Dakota have a documented record. The constraint is usually habitat: cold water, specific depth profile, or river connection.

Catfish-bearing lakes are often productive systems — the kind where the fish do well even when clarity does not. Cross-reference the Channel Catfish lake list below against the LakeGrade rubric: lakes with both an A or B grade and Channel Catfish documented are the best places to start for recreational targeting.

136

Minnesota Lakes

Avg. Grade

Grade A Lakes

Counties

Best Channel Catfish Lakes in Minnesota

Rank	Lake	County	Grade	Clarity	Depth
1	Little Birch Lake	Todd	A	13 ft	89 ft
2	Big Spunk Lake	Stearns	A	10 ft	38 ft
3	Green Lake	Kandiyohi	A	14.1 ft	110 ft
4	Whitewater Lake	St. Louis	A	14 ft	73 ft
5	Watab Lake	Stearns	A	10.5 ft	54 ft
6	Sylvia Lake	Stearns	B	10 ft	56 ft
7	Two Rivers Lake	Stearns	B	11.2 ft	63 ft
8	Minnewaska Lake	Pope	B	11 ft	32 ft
9	Little Rabbit Lake	Crow Wing	B	13.5 ft	30 ft
10	Lake St. Croix	Washington	B	5.2 ft	78 ft
11	Big Lake	Stearns	B	6.9 ft	42 ft
12	Crooked Lake	Anoka	B	7.1 ft	26 ft
13	Spitzer Lake	Otter Tail	B	7 ft	33 ft
14	Union Lake	Wright	C	5.5 ft	35 ft
15	Big Sandy Lake	Aitkin	C	4.5 ft	84 ft
16	Augusta Lake	Stearns	C	5.3 ft	82 ft
17	Nest Lake	Kandiyohi	C	7 ft	40 ft
18	Warner Lake	Stearns	C	6 ft	38 ft
19	Mccoll Pond	Scott	C	8 ft	11 ft
20	Schneider Lake	Stearns	C	12 ft	52 ft
21	St. Croix Lake	Washington	C	8.7 ft	78 ft
22	Charley Lake	Ramsey	C	4.6 ft	21 ft
23	Washington Lake	Meeker	C	4.5 ft	17 ft
24	Pelican Lake	Pope	C	5.2 ft	34 ft
25	Colby Lake	St. Louis	C	3 ft	30 ft
26	South Long Lake	Ramsey	C	3.9 ft	30 ft
27	Caroline Lake	Wright	C	3.5 ft	45 ft
28	Golden Lake	Anoka	C	4.5 ft	25 ft
29	Pool of Lake St. Croix	Washington	C	4.3 ft	78 ft
30	Pool on Lake St. Croix	Washington	C	5.9 ft	78 ft
31	Orwell Lake	Otter Tail	C	4.1 ft	25 ft
32	Bolfing Lake	Stearns	C	6.3 ft	36 ft
33	Long Lake	Watonwan	D	2.5 ft	13 ft
34	Cokato Lake	Wright	D	6 ft	52 ft
35	Zumbro Lake	Olmsted	D	4 ft	43 ft
36	Fish Lake	Wright	D	3 ft	38 ft
37	Deer Lake	Wright	D	5 ft	27 ft
38	Marion Lake	McLeod	D	-	15.2 ft
39	Rice Lake	Stearns	D	3 ft	41 ft
40	Pickerel Lake	Dakota	D	3.5 ft	11 ft
41	Mill Pond	Scott	D	4.5 ft	18 ft
42	Sleepy Eye Lake	Brown	D	3.3 ft	21 ft
43	Cedar Island Lake	Stearns	D	3.5 ft	75 ft
44	North Brown'S Lake	Stearns	D	4 ft	41 ft
45	St. James Lake	Watonwan	D	3 ft	15.4 ft
46	Great Northern Lake	Stearns	D	4.5 ft	16.2 ft
47	Deep Lake	Ramsey	D	3.9 ft	11 ft
48	Moosehead Lake	Carlton	D	4 ft	18 ft
49	Buffalo Lake	Wright	D	3 ft	33 ft
50	Louisa Lake	Stearns	D	5.7 ft	44 ft

Showing top 50 of 136 lakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Minnesota lakes have channel catfish?

Channel Catfish are found in 136 lakes in Minnesota. The average water quality grade of these lakes is D (Poor).

What are the best channel catfish lakes in Minnesota?

The best channel catfish lakes in Minnesota by water quality are Little Birch Lake, Big Spunk Lake, Green Lake, Whitewater Lake, Watab Lake.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.