Common Carp Lakes in Minnesota

Found in 500 Minnesota lakes · 6 in Michigan

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. 506 lakes carry documentation. With 500 lakes in Minnesota and 6 in Michigan carrying a documented record, Common Carp is one of the more accessible targets in the dataset.

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 letter grades: lakes with both an A or B grade and Common Carp documented are the best places to start for recreational targeting.

500

Minnesota Lakes

Avg. Grade

Grade A Lakes

Counties

Common Carp Lakes Map

Every Minnesota lake with documented common carp, colored by water-quality grade.

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Best Common Carp Lakes in Minnesota

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

Showing top 50 of 500 lakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Minnesota lakes have common carp?

Common Carp are found in 500 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 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 grades from the EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys.