Golden Redhorse Lakes in Minnesota

Found in 24 Minnesota lakes · 15 in Michigan

Golden Redhorse is a rough-fish species — typically common in productive, nutrient-rich lakes, sometimes treated as a management nuisance by anglers targeting game-fish. 39 lakes carry documentation. Golden Redhorse is narrowly distributed — only 24 lakes in Minnesota and 15 in Michigan 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 grade on: a rough-fish-heavy fishery often reflects an underlying nutrient-loading problem in the watershed. Cross-reference the Golden Redhorse lake list below against the letter grades: lakes with both an A or B grade and Golden Redhorse documented are the best places to start for recreational targeting.

Minnesota Lakes

Avg. Grade

Grade A Lakes

Counties

Golden Redhorse Lakes Map

Every Minnesota lake with documented golden redhorse, colored by water-quality grade.

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Best Golden Redhorse Lakes in Minnesota

Rank	Lake	County	Grade	Clarity	Depth
1	South Sturgeon Lake	St. Louis	A	2.5 ft	43 ft
2	Side Lake	St. Louis	A	11.5 ft	32 ft
3	Sturgeon Lake	St. Louis	A	13.8 ft	79.8 ft
4	Lake St Croix	Pierce	B	7.2 ft	78 ft
5	Pool	Washington	B	5.9 ft	78 ft
6	Koronis Lake	Stearns	C	6 ft	132 ft
7	Pool of Lake St Croix	Washington	C	4.3 ft	78 ft
8	Little Sturgeon Lake	St. Louis	C	4.8 ft	22 ft
9	Zumbro Lake	Olmsted	D	4 ft	43 ft
10	Lower Twin Lake	Wadena	D	6.9 ft	26 ft
11	Dixon Lake	Itasca	D	6 ft	29 ft
12	Horseshoe Lake	Stearns	F	4 ft	57 ft
13	Fish Lake	Wright	F	3 ft	38 ft
14	Rice Lake	Stearns	F	3 ft	41 ft
15	Pokegama Lake	Pine	F	2 ft	25 ft
16	Knife Lake	Kanabec	F	2 ft	15 ft
17	Byllesby Lake	Dakota	F	3 ft	50 ft
18	Unnamed Lake	Wright	NR	1.3 ft	38 ft
19	Fish Lake	Kanabec	NR	2 ft	8 ft
20	Silver Lake	Olmsted	NR	2 ft	11 ft
21	Pepin Lake	Pepin	NR	3 ft	60 ft
22	Spring Lake	Dakota	NR	2.1 ft	17 ft
23	Orwell Lake	Otter Tail	NR	4.1 ft	25 ft
24	Wright Lake	Otter Tail	NR	13.7 ft	32 ft

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Minnesota lakes have golden redhorse?

Golden Redhorse are found in 24 lakes in Minnesota. The average water quality grade of these lakes is C (Fair).

What are the best golden redhorse lakes in Minnesota?

The best golden redhorse lakes in Minnesota by water quality are South Sturgeon Lake, Side Lake, Sturgeon Lake, Lake St Croix, Pool.

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