Lake Whitefish Lakes in Minnesota

Found in 68 Minnesota lakes · 22 in Michigan

Trout species like Lake Whitefish need cold, oxygen-rich water year-round — that constraint limits Lake Whitefish to 90 lakes in Minnesota, mostly the deeper or spring-fed basins. Lake Whitefish is narrowly distributed — only 68 lakes in Minnesota and 22 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 are almost universally A- or B-grade — the cold, deep, well-oxygenated conditions trout need produce the higher grades almost as a side effect.

Minnesota Lakes

Avg. Grade

Grade A Lakes

Counties

Lake Whitefish Lakes Map

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

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Best Lake Whitefish Lakes in Minnesota

Rank	Lake	County	Grade	Clarity	Depth
1	Lower Hay Lake	Crow Wing	A	18.5 ft	100 ft
2	Pike Lake	Cook	A	17.4 ft	45 ft
3	Whitefish Lake	Crow Wing	A	14.4 ft	138 ft
4	Deer Lake	Itasca	A	13.1 ft	121 ft
5	Benedict Lake	Hubbard	A	11.5 ft	91 ft
6	Island Lake	Crow Wing	A	15.1 ft	76 ft
7	Devil Track Lake	Cook	A	7 ft	50 ft
8	Big Trout Lake	Crow Wing	A	16.9 ft	128 ft
9	Rush Lake	Crow Wing	A	18 ft	105 ft
10	Pig Lake	Crow Wing	A	17.2 ft	56 ft
11	Ten Mile Lake	Cass	A	20.5 ft	208 ft
12	Tom Lake	Cook	A	9 ft	35 ft
13	Sturgeon Lake	St. Louis	A	13.8 ft	79.8 ft
14	Burntside Lake	St. Louis	A	16 ft	126 ft
15	Sea Gull Lake	Cook	A	14.3 ft	40 ft
16	Clamshell Lake	Crow Wing	A	15.1 ft	44 ft
17	Steamboat Lake	Cass	A	12 ft	93 ft
18	Kabekona Lake	Hubbard	A	12.1 ft	133 ft
19	Bertha Lake	Crow Wing	A	17.1 ft	64 ft
20	Isabella Lake	Lake	A	4.4 ft	19 ft
21	Steamboat Bay Lake	Cass	A	9.8 ft	150 ft
22	Greenwood Lake	Cook	A	15.1 ft	112 ft
23	Kabekona Bay Lake	Cass	A	17.2 ft	150 ft
24	Hen Lake	Crow Wing	A	17.1 ft	105 ft
25	Cass Lake Allens Bay	Beltrami	A	16.6 ft	120 ft
26	Silver Island Lake	Lake	A	4.4 ft	16 ft
27	Cass Lake Pike Bay	Cass	A	13.6 ft	95 ft
28	Cass Lake	Beltrami	A	18.5 ft	120 ft
29	Windy Lake	Lake	A	5.5 ft	39 ft
30	Upper Red Lake: West-Central	Beltrami	C	2 ft	15 ft
31	Blackduck Lake	Beltrami	C	6.2 ft	28 ft
32	Turtle River Lake	Beltrami	C	8.5 ft	63 ft
33	Upper Red Lake: East Central	Beltrami	C	2 ft	15 ft
34	Drewery Lake	Beltrami	C	3.5 ft	120 ft
35	Upper Red Lake: East	Beltrami	D	2 ft	15 ft
36	Upper Red Lake: West	Beltrami	D	2 ft	15 ft
37	Upper Red Lake: Central	Beltrami	D	2 ft	15 ft
38	Kabetogama Lake	St. Louis	NR	4.4 ft	80 ft
39	Rainy Lake	Koochiching	NR	7.5 ft	161 ft
40	Rainy Lake	St. Louis	NR	8.4 ft	161 ft
41	Namakan Lake	St. Louis	NR	11.5 ft	150 ft
42	Kabetogama Lake	St. Louis	NR	4.9 ft	80 ft
43	Kabetogama Lake	St. Louis	NR	4.8 ft	80 ft
44	Sand Point Lake	St. Louis	NR	6.6 ft	184 ft
45	East Vermilion Lake	St. Louis	NR	6.5 ft	76 ft
46	West Vermilion Lake	St. Louis	NR	8 ft	76 ft
47	Hatch Lake	Itasca	NR	15.3 ft	88 ft
48	Red Rock Lake	Cook	NR	12 ft	64 ft
49	Elbow Lake	St. Louis	NR	7 ft	60 ft
50	Hanson Lake	Lake	NR	18 ft	100 ft

Showing top 50 of 68 lakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Minnesota lakes have lake whitefish?

Lake Whitefish are found in 68 lakes in Minnesota. The average water quality grade of these lakes is B (Good).

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 grades from the EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys.