common carp Lakes in Minnesota

Found in 474 Minnesota 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. 474 lakes carry documentation. common carp is moderately distributed — present in 474 Minnesota lakes and 0 Wisconsin lakes. Some counties have it, others do not, so checking the per-lake pages matters.

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 common carp lake list below against the LakeGrade rubric: lakes with both an A or B grade and common carp documented are the best places to start for recreational targeting.

474

Minnesota Lakes

Avg. Grade

Grade A Lakes

Counties

Best common carp Lakes in Minnesota

Rank	Lake	County	Grade	Clarity	Depth
1	Latoka Lake	Douglas	A	19 ft	108 ft
2	Pelican Lake	Otter Tail	A	16.1 ft	55 ft
3	Birch Lake	Wright	A	15 ft	52 ft
4	Chippewa Lake	Douglas	A	15.1 ft	95 ft
5	Cowdry Lake	Douglas	A	17 ft	52 ft
6	Ida Lake	Douglas	A	16.5 ft	106 ft
7	Star Lake	Otter Tail	A	16.7 ft	94 ft
8	Upper Maple Lake	Wright	A	18 ft	76 ft
9	Fish Lake	Otter Tail	A	17.8 ft	69 ft
10	Little Toad Lake	Becker	A	15 ft	65 ft
11	Big Mcdonald Lake	Otter Tail	A	16.4 ft	46 ft
12	Lizzie Lake	Otter Tail	A	16.4 ft	66 ft
13	Courthouse Lake	Carver	A	20 ft	57 ft
14	Miltona Lake	Douglas	A	18.8 ft	105 ft
15	West Battle Lake	Otter Tail	A	18.2 ft	108 ft
16	West Sylvia Lake	Wright	A	22 ft	97 ft
17	Mina Lake	Douglas	A	16 ft	123 ft
18	White Bear Lake	Washington	A	15 ft	83 ft
19	Big Cormorant Lake	Becker	A	24.3 ft	75 ft
20	Rose Lake	Otter Tail	A	15 ft	137 ft
21	Maud Lake	Becker	A	15.3 ft	32 ft
22	Sybil Lake	Otter Tail	A	20 ft	74 ft
23	Big Fish Lake	Stearns	A	20.7 ft	70 ft
24	Lottie Lake	Douglas	A	16.1 ft	31 ft
25	Edward Lake	Crow Wing	A	15.5 ft	75 ft
26	Moses Lake	Douglas	A	16.2 ft	32 ft
27	Carlos Lake	Douglas	A	17.2 ft	163 ft
28	Hubert Lake	Crow Wing	A	17 ft	83 ft
29	North Union Lake	Douglas	A	20.3 ft	42 ft
30	Big Lake	Sherburne	A	17.5 ft	48 ft
31	West Mcdonald Lake	Otter Tail	A	16.2 ft	62 ft
32	Ml-Thains Lake	Mille Lacs	A	16.1 ft	42 ft
33	Ml-Seventeen Lake	Aitkin	A	18.8 ft	42 ft
34	Ml Lake	Mille Lacs	A	20.2 ft	42 ft
35	Ml Lake	Mille Lacs	A	22.2 ft	42 ft
36	Ml-Vineland Lake	Mille Lacs	A	25.6 ft	42 ft
37	Ml-Peterson Lake	Mille Lacs	A	20.2 ft	42 ft
38	Ml-Malone Lake	Mille Lacs	A	17.5 ft	42 ft
39	Little Birch Lake	Todd	A	14 ft	89 ft
40	North Long Lake	Crow Wing	A	14.6 ft	97 ft
41	Big Lake	Sherburne	A	13.5 ft	48 ft
42	Round Lake	Aitkin	A	14.5 ft	125 ft
43	Round Lake	Crow Wing	A	13.5 ft	51 ft
44	Long Lake	Kandiyohi	A	10.5 ft	46 ft
45	Long Lake	Otter Tail	A	11.8 ft	128 ft
46	Maple Lake	Douglas	A	13.7 ft	78 ft
47	Detroit Lake	Becker	A	14 ft	89 ft
48	Big Spunk Lake	Stearns	A	10 ft	38 ft
49	Marion Lake	Otter Tail	A	11 ft	62 ft
50	Sullivan Lake	Morrison	A	10.8 ft	57 ft

Showing top 50 of 474 lakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Minnesota lakes have common carp?

common carp are found in 474 lakes in Minnesota. The average water quality grade of these lakes is C (Fair).

What are the best common carp lakes in Minnesota?

The best common carp lakes in Minnesota by water quality are Latoka Lake, Pelican Lake, Birch Lake, Chippewa Lake, Cowdry Lake.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.