Golden Redhorse Lakes in Minnesota, 24 Lakes

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. 37 lakes carry documentation. Golden Redhorse is narrowly distributed — only 24 lakes in Minnesota and 13 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 phosphorus and chlorophyll-a readings 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 each lake's clarity, phosphorus and algae readings: lakes with low nutrient readings and Golden Redhorse documented are the best places to start for recreational targeting.

Minnesota Lakes

Counties

Golden Redhorse Lakes Map

Every Minnesota lake with documented golden redhorse.

Loading map…

Best Golden Redhorse Lakes in Minnesota

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

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Minnesota lakes have golden redhorse?

Golden Redhorse are found in 24 lakes in Minnesota.

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 readings from the EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys.