Greater Redhorse Lakes in Minnesota, 60 Lakes

Rough fish like Greater Redhorse are often associated with eutrophic, nutrient-loaded waters. Their presence — documented in 61 Minnesota lakes — is often a signal of how the rest of the fishery is functioning. Greater Redhorse is narrowly distributed — only 60 lakes in Minnesota and 1 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 Greater Redhorse lake list below against each lake's clarity, phosphorus and algae readings: lakes with low nutrient readings and Greater Redhorse documented are the best places to start for recreational targeting.

Minnesota Lakes

Counties

Greater Redhorse Lakes Map

Every Minnesota lake with documented greater redhorse.

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Best Greater Redhorse Lakes in Minnesota

Rank	Lake	County	Clarity	Depth
1	Lower Hay Lake	Crow Wing	18.5 ft	100 ft
2	Little Birch Lake	Todd	13 ft	89 ft
3	Whitefish Lake	Crow Wing	14.4 ft	138 ft
4	Washburn Lake	Cass	14.1 ft	111 ft
5	Ossawinnamakee Lake	Crow Wing	20 ft	63 ft
6	Eagle Lake	Hubbard	11.2 ft	77 ft
7	Little Pine Lake	Crow Wing	10 ft	36 ft
8	Norway Lake	Cass	6.9 ft	12 ft
9	Andrusia Lake	Beltrami	15.1 ft	60 ft
10	Bass Lake	Crow Wing	16.1 ft	47 ft
11	Island Lake	Hubbard	10.5 ft	65 ft
12	Lawrence Lake	Cass	9.8 ft	71 ft
13	Two Inlets Lake	Becker	9 ft	60 ft
14	Inguadona Lake	Cass	12 ft	79 ft
15	Roosevelt Lake	Cass	11.1 ft	129 ft
16	Big Trout Lake	Crow Wing	16.9 ft	128 ft
17	Broadwater Bay Lake	Cass	14.4 ft	54 ft
18	Wolf Lake	Beltrami	9 ft	57 ft
19	Le Homme Dieu Lake	Douglas	13.1 ft	85 ft
20	Hattie Lake	Cass	10.3 ft	30 ft
21	Boy Lake	Cass	10.5 ft	45 ft
22	Bertha Lake	Crow Wing	17.1 ft	64 ft
23	Fourth Crow Wing Lake	Hubbard	8 ft	10 ft
24	Carlos Lake	Douglas	18 ft	163 ft
25	Cooper Lake	Cass	17.1 ft	70 ft
26	Lasalle Lake	Hubbard	6.9 ft	213 ft
27	Cass Lake	Beltrami	18.5 ft	120 ft
28	Third Crow Wing Lake	Hubbard	2.5 ft	35 ft
29	Big Wolf Lake	Hubbard	11.5 ft	57 ft
30	Upper South Long Lake	Crow Wing	6 ft	47 ft
31	Irving Lake	Beltrami	5.6 ft	19 ft
32	Mitchell Lake	Crow Wing	7 ft	78 ft
33	Upper Twin Lake	Hubbard	6.9 ft	12 ft
34	Daggett Lake	Crow Wing	8.7 ft	23 ft
35	East Leaf Lake	Otter Tail	7.9 ft	43 ft
36	Drewery Lake	Beltrami	3.5 ft	120 ft
37	Big Rice Lake	Beltrami	5.7 ft	13 ft
38	Margaret Lake	Cass	5.5 ft	26 ft
39	Emily Lake	Pope	2 ft	6 ft
40	Krays Lake	Stearns	3.5 ft	40 ft
41	Lower Twin Lake	Wadena	6.9 ft	26 ft
42	Horseshoe Lake	Stearns	4 ft	57 ft
43	Long Lake	Stearns	2.5 ft	35 ft
44	Knife Lake	Kanabec	2 ft	15 ft
45	Cedar Island Lake	Stearns	3.5 ft	75 ft
46	Knaus Lake	Stearns	2.5 ft	20 ft
47	Bolfing Lake	Stearns	6.3 ft	36 ft
48	Cokato Lake	Wright	6 ft	52 ft
49	Fish Lake	Kanabec	2 ft	8 ft
50	Turtle Lake	Todd	12 ft	39 ft

Showing top 50 of 60 lakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Minnesota lakes have greater redhorse?

Greater Redhorse are found in 60 lakes in Minnesota.

What are the best greater redhorse lakes in Minnesota?

The best greater redhorse lakes in Minnesota by water quality are Lower Hay Lake, Little Birch Lake, Whitefish Lake, Washburn Lake, Ossawinnamakee Lake.

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