Cisco Species Fishing Guide: 64 Lakes by Water Quality

Cisco Species is a rough-fish species — typically common in productive, nutrient-rich lakes, sometimes treated as a management nuisance by anglers targeting game-fish. 64 lakes carry documentation. Cisco Species is narrowly distributed — only 64 lakes in Minnesota have a documented record. The constraint is usually habitat: cold water, specific depth profile, or river connection.

Rough-fish-dominant lakes are worth checking the phosphorus and chlorophyll-a readings on: a rough-fish-heavy fishery often reflects an underlying nutrient-loading problem in the watershed. Cross-reference the Cisco Species lake list below against each lake's clarity, phosphorus and algae readings: lakes with low nutrient readings and Cisco Species documented are the best places to start for recreational targeting.

Cisco Species Seasonal Forecast & Techniques

Part of the LakeQuality Fishing Forecast. Spawn trigger: Late-fall spawner in the shallows; a cold, oxygen-rich-water indicator and key trophy forage. Forage: Zooplankton; itself the forage that grows trophy pike, muskie, and lake trout. For a forecast tuned to a specific lake's measured clarity and depth, open that lake's forecast.

Season	Where they hold	Structure & cover	Technique
Spring	deep/suspended	suspends in the cold basin	not commonly targeted
Summer	deep near thermocline	cold oxygenated layer	small jigs/flies where legal
Fall	shallow late fall	moves shallow to spawn	small spoons and jigs
Winter / Ice	15–40 ft	suspended over the basin	tiny spoons and jigs — a fun ice target

Clear-water tactics:tiny jigs & spoons for suspended fishStained-water tactics:n/a — cisco signal clean, well-oxygenated water

Cisco presence indicates a healthy, cold, oxygen-rich lake; sensitive to warming.

Total Lakes

Minnesota lakes →

80 ft

Avg. Depth

Best Cisco Species Lakes by Water Quality

Top 50 lakes with cisco species, ranked on nutrient and algae readings.

Rank	Lake	County	State	Depth	Species
1	Farm Lake	Lake	MN	56 ft	12
2	Garden Lake	Lake	MN	55 ft	12
3	Andrusia Lake	Beltrami	MN	60 ft	21
4	White Iron Lake	Lake	MN	47 ft	10
5	Elk Lake	Clearwater	MN	93 ft	16
6	Bemidji Lake	Beltrami	MN	76 ft	16
7	Little Boy Lake	Cass	MN	74 ft	18
8	Fall Lake	Lake	MN	32 ft	12
9	Ten Mile Lake	Cass	MN	208 ft	17
10	Wabedo Lake	Cass	MN	95 ft	19
11	Sea Gull Lake	Cook	MN	40 ft	12
12	Loon Lake	Cook	MN	202 ft	10
13	St. Marys Lake	St. Louis	MN	44 ft	14
14	Sabin Lake	St. Louis	MN	52 ft	10
15	Bear Island Lake	St. Louis	MN	62 ft	13
16	Gunflint Lake	Cook	MN	200 ft	12
17	Flour Lake	Cook	MN	75 ft	9
18	Wynne Lake	St. Louis	MN	52 ft	10
19	Greenwood Lake	Cook	MN	112 ft	10
20	Six Mile Lake	Cass	MN	68 ft	16
21	Mukooda Lake	St. Louis	MN	78 ft	14
22	Little Trout Lake	St. Louis	MN	95 ft	8
23	Locator Lake	St. Louis	MN	52 ft	6
24	Snowbank Lake	Lake	MN	150 ft	11
25	Kabetogama Lake	St. Louis	MN	80 ft	16
26	Rainy Lake	Koochiching	MN	161 ft	17
27	Sand Point Lake	St. Louis	MN	184 ft	21
28	Agnes Lake	St. Louis	MN	30 ft	10
29	War Club Lake	St. Louis	MN	40 ft	8
30	Crane Lake	St. Louis	MN	80 ft	12
31	Birch Lake	Unknown	MN	34 ft	10
32	South Farm Lake	Lake	MN	31 ft	11
33	Carp Lake	Unknown	MN	34 ft	10
34	Fairy Lake	Todd	MN	37 ft	13
35	Elbow Lake	St. Louis	MN	60 ft	12
36	Hanson Lake	Lake	MN	100 ft	6
37	Pine Lake	Cook	MN	113 ft	10
38	Duncan Lake	Cook	MN	130 ft	5
39	Rose Lake	Cook	MN	130 ft	5
40	Ensign Lake	Lake	MN	30 ft	9
41	St Mary'S Lake	St. Louis	MN	44 ft	14
42	Newfound Lake	Lake	MN	45 ft	12
43	Four Lake	Lake	MN	25 ft	9
44	Shagawa Lake	St. Louis	MN	48 ft	12
45	Ester Lake	Lake	MN	110 ft	8
46	Topaz Lake	Lake	MN	110 ft	4
47	One Lake	Lake	MN	57 ft	7
48	Rifle Lake	Lake	MN	37 ft	10
49	Amoeber Lake	Lake	MN	110 ft	4
50	Brule Lake	Cook	MN	78 ft	6

Showing top 50 of 64 lakes with cisco species.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many lakes have cisco species?

Cisco Species are documented in 64 lakes: 64 in Minnesota.

What are the best lakes for cisco species?

The best cisco species lakes by water quality are Farm Lake, Garden Lake, Andrusia Lake, White Iron Lake, Elk Lake. These lakes carry the lowest nutrient and algae readings among all lakes where cisco species have been documented by state DNR surveys.

What other fish are found with cisco species?

Cisco Species are most commonly found alongside cisco species, white sucker, northern pike, yellow perch, walleye. These species share similar habitat preferences in the region's lakes.

Other Fish Species in Cisco Species Lakes

White Sucker Lakes

Found together in 58 lakes · 1,211 total

Northern Pike Lakes

Found together in 56 lakes · 2,386 total

Yellow Perch Lakes

Found together in 55 lakes · 1,577 total

Walleye Lakes

Found together in 53 lakes · 1,884 total

Smallmouth Bass Lakes

Found together in 51 lakes · 871 total

Rock Bass Lakes

Found together in 48 lakes · 786 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.