Lake Whitefish Lakes in Minnesota, 58 Lakes

Trout species like Lake Whitefish need cold, oxygen-rich water year-round — that constraint limits Lake Whitefish to 75 lakes in Minnesota, mostly the deeper or spring-fed basins. Lake Whitefish is narrowly distributed — only 58 lakes in Minnesota and 17 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 Whitefish 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 Whitefish Lakes Map

Every Minnesota lake with documented lake whitefish.

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Best Lake Whitefish Lakes in Minnesota

Rank	Lake	County	Clarity	Depth
1	Lower Hay Lake	Crow Wing	18.5 ft	100 ft
2	Pike Lake	Cook	17.4 ft	45 ft
3	Whitefish Lake	Crow Wing	14.4 ft	138 ft
4	Deer Lake	Itasca	13.1 ft	121 ft
5	Benedict Lake	Hubbard	11.5 ft	91 ft
6	Island Lake	Crow Wing	15.1 ft	76 ft
7	Devil Track Lake	Cook	7 ft	50 ft
8	Big Trout Lake	Crow Wing	16.9 ft	128 ft
9	Rush Lake	Crow Wing	18 ft	105 ft
10	Pig Lake	Crow Wing	17.2 ft	56 ft
11	Ten Mile Lake	Cass	20.5 ft	208 ft
12	Tom Lake	Cook	9 ft	35 ft
13	Sturgeon Lake	St. Louis	13.8 ft	79.8 ft
14	Burntside Lake	St. Louis	16 ft	126 ft
15	Sea Gull Lake	Cook	14.3 ft	40 ft
16	Clamshell Lake	Crow Wing	15.1 ft	44 ft
17	Steamboat Lake	Cass	12 ft	93 ft
18	Kabekona Lake	Hubbard	12.1 ft	133 ft
19	Bertha Lake	Crow Wing	17.1 ft	64 ft
20	Isabella Lake	Lake	4.4 ft	19 ft
21	Steamboat Bay Lake	Cass	9.8 ft	150 ft
22	Greenwood Lake	Cook	15.1 ft	112 ft
23	Kabekona Bay Lake	Cass	17.2 ft	150 ft
24	Hen Lake	Crow Wing	17.1 ft	105 ft
25	Silver Island Lake	Lake	4.4 ft	16 ft
26	Cass Lake Pike Bay	Cass	13.6 ft	95 ft
27	Cass Lake	Beltrami	18.5 ft	120 ft
28	Windy Lake	Lake	5.5 ft	39 ft
29	Blackduck Lake	Beltrami	6.2 ft	28 ft
30	Turtle River Lake	Beltrami	8.5 ft	63 ft
31	Drewery Lake	Beltrami	3.5 ft	120 ft
32	Upper Red Lake	Beltrami	2 ft	15 ft
33	Kabetogama Lake	St. Louis	4.4 ft	80 ft
34	Rainy Lake	Koochiching	7.5 ft	161 ft
35	Sand Point Lake	St. Louis	6.6 ft	184 ft
36	East Vermilion Lake	St. Louis	6.5 ft	76 ft
37	West Vermilion Lake	St. Louis	8 ft	76 ft
38	Hatch Lake	Itasca	15.3 ft	88 ft
39	Red Rock Lake	Cook	12 ft	64 ft
40	Elbow Lake	St. Louis	7 ft	60 ft
41	Hanson Lake	Lake	18 ft	100 ft
42	Basswood Lake	Lake	9 ft	111 ft
43	Sucker Lake	Lake	12 ft	111 ft
44	Pine Lake	Cook	16.9 ft	113 ft
45	Newfound Lake	Lake	12.8 ft	45 ft
46	Four Lake	Lake	8 ft	25 ft
47	Ogishkemuncie Lake	Lake	11.5 ft	75 ft
48	Ester Lake	Lake	18.8 ft	110 ft
49	One Lake	Lake	7.5 ft	57 ft
50	Rifle Lake	Lake	4.8 ft	37 ft

Showing top 50 of 58 lakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Minnesota lakes have lake whitefish?

Lake Whitefish are found in 58 lakes in Minnesota.

What are the best lake whitefish lakes in Minnesota?

The best lake whitefish lakes in Minnesota by water quality are Lower Hay Lake, Pike Lake, Whitefish Lake, Deer Lake, Benedict Lake.

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