Muskellunge Lakes in Minnesota

Found in 128 Minnesota lakes · 10 in Michigan

Muskellunge is one of the headline game-fish species in Minnesota — the kind of catch that anchors fishing trips, cabin weekends, and the regional fishing economy. 138 lakes in our dataset have documented Muskellunge. Muskellunge is moderately distributed — 128 lakes in Minnesota and 10 in Michigan. Some counties have it, others do not, so checking the per-lake pages matters.

Game-fish presence on a Minnesota 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 our A–F scale, 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.

128

Minnesota Lakes

Avg. Grade

Grade A Lakes

Counties

Muskellunge Lakes Map

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

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Best Muskellunge Lakes in Minnesota

Rank	Lake	County	Grade	Clarity	Depth
1	Lobster Lake	Douglas	A	13 ft	65 ft
2	Big Lake	Beltrami	A	9.7 ft	35 ft
3	Pelican Lake	Otter Tail	A	16.4 ft	55 ft
4	Round Lake	Crow Wing	A	13.5 ft	51 ft
5	Round Lake	Becker	A	10 ft	69 ft
6	Detroit Lake	Becker	A	14 ft	89 ft
7	Deer Lake	Itasca	A	13.1 ft	121 ft
8	Lida Lake	Otter Tail	A	14 ft	58 ft
9	Ida Lake	Douglas	A	16.4 ft	106 ft
10	Benedict Lake	Hubbard	A	11.5 ft	91 ft
11	Andrusia Lake	Beltrami	A	15.1 ft	60 ft
12	Green Lake	Kandiyohi	A	14.1 ft	110 ft
13	Girl Lake	Cass	A	17.6 ft	81 ft
14	Cedar Lake	Aitkin	A	11.1 ft	105 ft
15	Lizzie Lake	Otter Tail	A	16.4 ft	66 ft
16	Pokegama Lake	Itasca	A	16.1 ft	112 ft
17	Pickerel Lake	Becker	A	18 ft	74 ft
18	Alexander Lake	Morrison	A	16.5 ft	64 ft
19	Gull Lake	Cass	A	15 ft	80 ft
20	Miltona Lake	Douglas	A	18.7 ft	105 ft
21	West Battle Lake	Otter Tail	A	18 ft	108 ft
22	Child Lake	Cass	A	12.1 ft	29 ft
23	Baby Lake	Cass	A	12.5 ft	69 ft
24	Inguadona Lake	Cass	A	12 ft	79 ft
25	Little Big Lake	Beltrami	A	9.3 ft	35 ft
26	Jessie Lake	Beltrami	A	4.6 ft	35 ft
27	North Star Lake	Itasca	A	19 ft	90 ft
28	Roosevelt Lake	Cass	A	11.1 ft	129 ft
29	Elk Lake	Clearwater	A	12 ft	93 ft
30	White Bear Lake	Washington	A	14.4 ft	83 ft
31	Bemidji Lake	Beltrami	A	12.5 ft	76 ft
32	Broadwater Bay Lake	Cass	A	14.4 ft	54 ft
33	Elbow Lake	Becker	A	12.1 ft	76 ft
34	Wolf Lake	Beltrami	A	9 ft	57 ft
35	Man Lake	Cass	A	11 ft	93 ft
36	Little Boy Lake	Cass	A	11 ft	74 ft
37	Shamineau Lake	Morrison	A	12.5 ft	52 ft
38	Plantagenet Lake	Hubbard	A	7 ft	65 ft
39	Wabedo Lake	Cass	A	10.5 ft	95 ft
40	Big Sand Lake	Hubbard	A	23 ft	135 ft
41	Sugar Lake	Wright	A	16.5 ft	69 ft
42	Dumbbell Lake	Lake	A	14.8 ft	40 ft
43	Boy Lake	Cass	A	10.5 ft	45 ft
44	Borden Lake	Crow Wing	A	10.5 ft	84 ft
45	Leavitt Lake	Cass	A	7.9 ft	60 ft
46	Fish Trap Lake	Morrison	A	9.7 ft	42 ft
47	Steamboat Bay Lake	Cass	A	9.8 ft	150 ft
48	Louise Lake	Douglas	A	14.5 ft	33 ft
49	Ml-Nw Lake	Aitkin	A	9.4 ft	42 ft
50	Ml-Seventeen Lake	Aitkin	A	6.2 ft	42 ft

Showing top 50 of 128 lakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Minnesota lakes have muskellunge?

Muskellunge are found in 128 lakes in Minnesota. The average water quality grade of these lakes is B (Good).

What are the best muskellunge lakes in Minnesota?

The best muskellunge lakes in Minnesota by water quality are Lobster Lake, Big Lake, Pelican Lake, Round Lake, Round Lake.

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