Greater Redhorse Lakes in Minnesota

Found in 63 Minnesota lakes · 2 in Michigan

Rough fish like Greater Redhorse are often associated with eutrophic, nutrient-loaded waters. Their presence — documented in 65 Minnesota lakes — is often a signal of how the rest of the fishery is functioning. Greater Redhorse is narrowly distributed — only 63 lakes in Minnesota and 2 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 Greater Redhorse lake list below against the letter grades: lakes with both an A or B grade and Greater Redhorse documented are the best places to start for recreational targeting.

Minnesota Lakes

Avg. Grade

Grade A Lakes

Counties

Greater Redhorse Lakes Map

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

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Best Greater Redhorse Lakes in Minnesota

Rank	Lake	County	Grade	Clarity	Depth
1	Lower Hay Lake	Crow Wing	A	18.5 ft	100 ft
2	Little Birch Lake	Todd	A	13 ft	89 ft
3	Whitefish Lake	Crow Wing	A	14.4 ft	138 ft
4	Washburn Lake	Cass	A	14.1 ft	111 ft
5	Ossawinnamakee Lake	Crow Wing	A	20 ft	63 ft
6	Eagle Lake	Hubbard	A	11.2 ft	77 ft
7	Little Pine Lake	Crow Wing	A	10 ft	36 ft
8	Norway Lake	Cass	A	6.9 ft	12 ft
9	Andrusia Lake	Beltrami	A	15.1 ft	60 ft
10	Bass Lake	Crow Wing	A	16.1 ft	47 ft
11	Island Lake	Hubbard	A	10.5 ft	65 ft
12	Lawrence Lake	Cass	A	9.8 ft	71 ft
13	Two Inlets Lake	Becker	A	9 ft	60 ft
14	Inguadona Lake	Cass	A	12 ft	79 ft
15	Roosevelt Lake	Cass	A	11.1 ft	129 ft
16	Big Trout Lake	Crow Wing	A	16.9 ft	128 ft
17	Broadwater Bay Lake	Cass	A	14.4 ft	54 ft
18	Wolf Lake	Beltrami	A	9 ft	57 ft
19	Le Homme Dieu Lake	Douglas	A	13.1 ft	85 ft
20	Hattie Lake	Cass	A	10.3 ft	30 ft
21	Boy Lake	Cass	A	10.5 ft	45 ft
22	Bertha Lake	Crow Wing	A	17.1 ft	64 ft
23	Fourth Crow Wing Lake	Hubbard	A	8 ft	10 ft
24	Carlos Lake	Douglas	A	18 ft	163 ft
25	Cooper Lake	Cass	A	17.1 ft	70 ft
26	Lasalle Lake	Hubbard	A	6.9 ft	213 ft
27	Cass Lake Allens Bay	Beltrami	A	16.6 ft	120 ft
28	Cass Lake	Beltrami	A	18.5 ft	120 ft
29	Third Crow Wing Lake	Hubbard	B	2.5 ft	35 ft
30	Big Wolf Lake	Hubbard	B	11.5 ft	57 ft
31	Upper South Long Lake	Crow Wing	C	6 ft	47 ft
32	Irving Lake	Beltrami	C	5.6 ft	19 ft
33	Mitchell Lake	Crow Wing	C	7 ft	78 ft
34	Upper Twin Lake	Hubbard	C	6.9 ft	12 ft
35	Daggett Lake	Crow Wing	C	8.7 ft	23 ft
36	East Leaf Lake	Otter Tail	C	7.9 ft	43 ft
37	Drewery Lake	Beltrami	C	3.5 ft	120 ft
38	Big Rice Lake	Beltrami	C	5.7 ft	13 ft
39	Margaret Lake	Cass	D	5.5 ft	26 ft
40	Emily Lake	Pope	D	2 ft	6 ft
41	Krays Lake	Stearns	D	3.5 ft	40 ft
42	Lower Twin Lake	Wadena	D	6.9 ft	26 ft
43	Horseshoe Lake	Stearns	F	4 ft	57 ft
44	Long Lake	Stearns	F	2.5 ft	35 ft
45	Knife Lake	Kanabec	F	2 ft	15 ft
46	Cedar Island Lake	Stearns	F	3.5 ft	75 ft
47	Knaus Lake	Stearns	F	2.5 ft	20 ft
48	Bolfing Lake	Stearns	F	6.3 ft	36 ft
49	Cokato Lake	Wright	NR	6 ft	52 ft
50	Fish Lake	Kanabec	NR	2 ft	8 ft

Showing top 50 of 63 lakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Minnesota lakes have greater redhorse?

Greater Redhorse are found in 63 lakes in Minnesota. The average water quality grade of these lakes is B (Good).

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 grades from the EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys.