Lake Sturgeon Lakes in Minnesota, 22 Lakes

Trout species like Lake Sturgeon need cold, oxygen-rich water year-round — that constraint limits Lake Sturgeon to 27 lakes in Minnesota, mostly the deeper or spring-fed basins. Lake Sturgeon is narrowly distributed — only 22 lakes in Minnesota and 5 in Michigan have a documented record. The constraint is usually habitat: cold water, specific depth profile, or river connection.

Trout presence is itself a water-quality signal: a Minnesota lake that supports a Lake Sturgeon population is almost certainly running cold enough and oxygenated enough to also support healthier overall water quality. Trout-supporting lakes almost always carry low nutrient and algae readings, because the cold, deep, well-oxygenated conditions trout need produce clear, low-phosphorus water almost as a side effect.

Minnesota Lakes

Counties

Lake Sturgeon Lakes Map

Every Minnesota lake with documented lake sturgeon.

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Best Lake Sturgeon Lakes in Minnesota

Rank	Lake	County	Clarity	Depth
1	Round Lake	Becker	10 ft	69 ft
2	Detroit Lake	Becker	14 ft	89 ft
3	Deer Lake	Otter Tail	12.3 ft	26 ft
4	Otter Tail Lake	Otter Tail	12.1 ft	120 ft
5	White Earth Lake	Becker	15 ft	120 ft
6	Many Point Lake	Becker	10.7 ft	92 ft
7	Lake St Croix	Pierce	7.2 ft	78 ft
8	Pool	Washington	5.9 ft	78 ft
9	Little Pine Lake	Otter Tail	9.5 ft	63 ft
10	Big Pine Lake	Otter Tail	8.7 ft	76 ft
11	Rush Lake	Otter Tail	7.5 ft	68 ft
12	Pool of Lake St Croix	Washington	4.3 ft	78 ft
13	Upper Estuary Lake	St. Louis	1.9 ft	55 ft
14	Upper Red Lake	Beltrami	2 ft	15 ft
15	Pokegama Lake	Pine	2 ft	25 ft
16	Kabetogama Lake	St. Louis	4.4 ft	80 ft
17	Sand Point Lake	St. Louis	6.6 ft	184 ft
18	East Lost Lake	Otter Tail	12 ft	26 ft
19	Pepin Lake	Pepin	3 ft	60 ft
20	Becker Lake	Becker	-	120 ft
21	Wright Lake	Otter Tail	13.7 ft	32 ft
22	Hoot Lake	Otter Tail	11.7 ft	20 ft

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Minnesota lakes have lake sturgeon?

Lake Sturgeon are found in 22 lakes in Minnesota.

What are the best lake sturgeon lakes in Minnesota?

The best lake sturgeon lakes in Minnesota by water quality are Round Lake, Detroit Lake, Deer Lake, Otter Tail Lake, White Earth Lake.

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