Common Carp Lakes in Minnesota, 483 Lakes

Common Carp is a rough-fish species — typically common in productive, nutrient-rich lakes, sometimes treated as a management nuisance by anglers targeting game-fish. 487 lakes carry documentation. Common Carp is moderately distributed — 483 lakes in Minnesota and 4 in Michigan. Some counties have it, others do not, so checking the per-lake pages matters.

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 Common Carp lake list below against each lake's clarity, phosphorus and algae readings: lakes with low nutrient readings and Common Carp documented are the best places to start for recreational targeting.

483

Minnesota Lakes

Counties

Common Carp Lakes Map

Every Minnesota lake with documented common carp.

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Best Common Carp Lakes in Minnesota

Rank	Lake	County	Clarity	Depth
1	Lobster Lake	Douglas	13 ft	65 ft
2	Clearwater Lake	Wright	9.8 ft	73 ft
3	Latoka Lake	Douglas	19 ft	108 ft
4	Little Birch Lake	Todd	13 ft	89 ft
5	North Long Lake	Crow Wing	15.1 ft	97 ft
6	Big Lake	Sherburne	13.6 ft	48 ft
7	Pelican Lake	Otter Tail	16.4 ft	55 ft
8	Birch Lake	Wright	15 ft	52 ft
9	Round Lake	Aitkin	14.5 ft	125 ft
10	Round Lake	Crow Wing	13.5 ft	51 ft
11	Long Lake	Kandiyohi	10.5 ft	46 ft
12	Long Lake	Otter Tail	12.3 ft	128 ft
13	Dead Lake	Otter Tail	10.2 ft	65 ft
14	Unnamed Lake	Nicollet	5.6 ft	35 ft
15	Maple Lake	Douglas	14.1 ft	78 ft
16	Detroit Lake	Becker	14 ft	89 ft
17	Deer Lake	Otter Tail	12.3 ft	26 ft
18	Chippewa Lake	Douglas	14.8 ft	95 ft
19	Otter Lake	Ramsey	11.5 ft	21 ft
20	Lida Lake	Otter Tail	14 ft	58 ft
21	Cowdry Lake	Douglas	17.1 ft	52 ft
22	Big Spunk Lake	Stearns	10 ft	38 ft
23	Florida Lake	Kandiyohi	12.3 ft	40 ft
24	Marion Lake	Dakota	7 ft	21 ft
25	Sullivan Lake	Morrison	10.8 ft	57 ft
26	Eagle Lake	Kandiyohi	6.9 ft	67 ft
27	Darling Lake	Douglas	14 ft	62 ft
28	Ida Lake	Douglas	16.4 ft	106 ft
29	Ida Lake	Becker	12.1 ft	20 ft
30	Star Lake	Otter Tail	17 ft	94 ft
31	Upper Maple Lake	Wright	17.2 ft	76 ft
32	Fish Lake	Otter Tail	18 ft	69 ft
33	Shell Lake	Becker	7.3 ft	16 ft
34	Green Lake	Kandiyohi	14.1 ft	110 ft
35	Upper Gull Lake	Cass	9.5 ft	54 ft
36	Little Toad Lake	Becker	15 ft	65 ft
37	Big Mcdonald Lake	Otter Tail	17.4 ft	46 ft
38	Crooked Lake	Douglas	14 ft	35 ft
39	Cedar Lake	Wright	14.3 ft	108 ft
40	Lizzie Lake	Otter Tail	16.4 ft	66 ft
41	Turtle Lake	Ramsey	7.5 ft	28 ft
42	East Loon Lake	Otter Tail	13.5 ft	105 ft
43	Pickerel Lake	Otter Tail	14.1 ft	78 ft
44	Gull Lake	Cass	15 ft	80 ft
45	Minnewashta Lake	Carver	11.5 ft	70 ft
46	Ray Lake	Cass	10.3 ft	27 ft
47	Courthouse Lake	Carver	18.9 ft	57 ft
48	Miltona Lake	Douglas	18.7 ft	105 ft
49	West Battle Lake	Otter Tail	18 ft	108 ft
50	Roy Lake	Crow Wing	11.7 ft	26 ft

Showing top 50 of 483 lakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Minnesota lakes have common carp?

Common Carp are found in 483 lakes in Minnesota.

What are the best common carp lakes in Minnesota?

The best common carp lakes in Minnesota by water quality are Lobster Lake, Clearwater Lake, Latoka Lake, Little Birch Lake, North Long Lake.

Fish species from state agency survey, stocking, and public fishing-access records; water-quality readings from the EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys.