Muskellunge Lakes in Minnesota, Wisconsin & Michigan

Game FishFound in 10 lakes

Muskellunge is one of the headline game-fish species in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan — the kind of catch that anchors fishing trips, cabin weekends, and the regional fishing economy. 10 lakes in our dataset have documented Muskellunge. Muskellunge is narrowly distributed — only 10 lakes in Michigan have a documented record. The constraint is usually habitat: cold water, specific depth profile, or river connection.

Game-fish presence on a Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan lake also signals enough water-quality stability to support the prey species the game fish depend on — perch, alewife, ciscoes — which themselves require reasonably oxygenated, clear water. On the LakeGrade rubric, the cleanest Muskellunge lakes tend to also be the highest-graded — the same water-clarity and nutrient conditions that support the species also produce the higher grades.

Total Lakes

Michigan lakes →

Avg. Grade

63 ft

Avg. Depth

Water Quality of Muskellunge Lakes

34%

16%

11%

Best Muskellunge Lakes by Water Quality

Top 50 lakes with muskellunge ranked by overall water quality grade.

Rank	Lake	County	State	Grade	Depth	Species
1	Ida Lake	Douglas	MN	A	106 ft	19
2	Girl Lake	Cass	MN	A	81 ft	18
3	Pelican Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	55 ft	20
4	Alexander Lake	Morrison	MN	A	64 ft	19
5	Gull Lake	Cass	MN	A	80 ft	22
6	Andrusia Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	60 ft	21
7	Lizzie Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	66 ft	21
8	Pokegama Lake	Itasca	MN	A	112 ft	19
9	Pickerel Lake	Becker	MN	A	74 ft	14
10	West Battle Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	108 ft	17
11	Miltona Lake	Douglas	MN	A	105 ft	19
12	Mina Lake	Douglas	MN	A	123 ft	18
13	North Star Lake	Itasca	MN	A	90 ft	13
14	Big Sand Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	135 ft	16
15	Sugar Lake	Wright	MN	A	69 ft	16
16	Pokegama Lake	Itasca	MN	A	112 ft	19
17	Mons Lake	Todd	MN	A	80 ft	15
18	Kabekona Bay Lake	Cass	MN	A	150 ft	18
19	Cass Lake Allens Bay	Beltrami	MN	A	120 ft	21
20	Cass Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	120 ft	21
21	Round Lake	Benzie	MI	A	-	37
22	Round Lake	Benzie	MI	A	-	37
23	Elk Lake	Antrim	MI	A	-	27
24	Round Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	51 ft	20
25	Round Lake	Becker	MN	A	69 ft	18
26	Detroit Lake	Becker	MN	A	89 ft	19
27	Cedar Lake	Aitkin	MN	A	105 ft	22
28	Deer Lake	Itasca	MN	A	121 ft	17
29	Benedict Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	91 ft	16
30	Green Lake	Kandiyohi	MN	A	110 ft	22
31	Child Lake	Cass	MN	A	29 ft	17
32	Baby Lake	Cass	MN	A	69 ft	16
33	Inguadona Lake	Cass	MN	A	79 ft	20
34	White Bear Lake	Washington	MN	A	83 ft	18
35	Roosevelt Lake	Cass	MN	A	129 ft	18
36	Bemidji Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	76 ft	16
37	Broadwater Bay Lake	Cass	MN	A	54 ft	22
38	Man Lake	Cass	MN	A	93 ft	14
39	Elbow Lake	Becker	MN	A	76 ft	17
40	Little Boy Lake	Cass	MN	A	74 ft	18
41	Shamineau Lake	Morrison	MN	A	52 ft	18
42	Wabedo Lake	Cass	MN	A	95 ft	19
43	Dumbbell Lake	Lake	MN	A	40 ft	6
44	Louise Lake	Douglas	MN	A	33 ft	18
45	Many Point Lake	Becker	MN	A	92 ft	16
46	Tamarack Bay Lake	Cass	MN	A	69.8 ft	20
47	Cass Lake Pike Bay	Cass	MN	A	95 ft	20
48	Little Big Lake	Beltrami	MN	B	35 ft	17
49	Steamboat Bay Lake	Cass	MN	B	150 ft	18
50	Lobster Lake	Douglas	MN	B	65 ft	18

Showing top 50 of 140 lakes with muskellunge.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many lakes have muskellunge?

Muskellunge are found in 10 graded lakes: 10 in Michigan. The average water quality grade of lakes with muskellunge is B (Good).

What are the best lakes for muskellunge?

The best muskellunge lakes by water quality are Ida Lake, Girl Lake, Pelican Lake, Alexander Lake, Gull Lake. These lakes have the highest water quality grades among all lakes where muskellunge have been documented by state DNR surveys.

What other fish are found with muskellunge?

Muskellunge are most commonly found alongside muskellunge, yellow perch, bluegill, northern pike, walleye. These species share similar habitat preferences in the region's lakes.

Other Fish Species in Muskellunge Lakes

Yellow Perch Lakes

Found together in 129 lakes · 113 total

Bluegill Lakes

Found together in 126 lakes · 240 total

Northern pike Lakes

Found together in 126 lakes · 99 total

Walleye Lakes

Found together in 126 lakes · 840 total

Black Crappie Lakes

Found together in 124 lakes · 41 total

Largemouth bass Lakes

Found together in 123 lakes · 172 total

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.