Northern Pike Lakes in Minnesota & Wisconsin

Game FishFound in 945 lakes

Northern Pike is a primary Minnesota and Wisconsin sport-fishing target. 945 lakes have an official record of the species — the actual population almost certainly extends further, since not every lake gets a full DNR fishery survey every year. With 0 Minnesota lakes and 945 in Wisconsin documenting Northern Pike, the species is one of the more accessible targets in the dataset.

Game-fish presence on a Minnesota and Wisconsin 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 Northern Pike lakes tend to also be the highest-graded — the same water-clarity and nutrient conditions that support the species also produce the higher grades.

945

Total Lakes

Minnesota

945

Wisconsin

Avg. Grade

43 ft

Avg. Depth

Water Quality of Northern Pike Lakes

1099

47%

496

21%

379

16%

253

11%

126

Best Northern Pike Lakes by Water Quality

Top 50 lakes with northern pike ranked by overall water quality grade.

Rank	Lake	County	State	Grade	Depth	Species
1	East Fox Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	65 ft	15
2	Deep Portage Lake	Cass	MN	A	105 ft	9
3	Lower Hay Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	100 ft	21
4	Latoka Lake	Douglas	MN	A	108 ft	16
5	Bad Medicine Lake	Becker	MN	A	84 ft	13
6	Big Sugar Bush Lake	Becker	MN	A	42 ft	13
7	Pelican Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	55 ft	20
8	Birch Lake	Wright	MN	A	52 ft	9
9	Birch Lake	Unknown	MN	A	34 ft	10
10	Round Lake	Aitkin	MN	A	59 ft	15
11	Round Lake	Cook	MN	A	45 ft	5
12	Pike Lake	Cook	MN	A	45 ft	7
13	Pike Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	60 ft	9
14	Whitefish Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	138 ft	23
15	Horseshoe Lake	Cass	MN	A	51 ft	12
16	Long Lake	Clearwater	MN	A	80 ft	15
17	Long Lake	Cass	MN	A	115 ft	14
18	Long Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	87 ft	11
19	Long Lake	Becker	MN	A	61 ft	16
20	Long Lake	Cass	MN	A	37 ft	12
21	Long Lake	Itasca	MN	A	72 ft	10
22	Long Lake	Itasca	MN	A	85 ft	12
23	Dead Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	34 ft	9
24	Unnamed Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	95 ft	17
25	Maple Lake	Itasca	MN	A	39 ft	13
26	Shallow Lake	Itasca	MN	A	85 ft	12
27	Trout Lake	Itasca	MN	A	135 ft	15
28	Trout Lake	Itasca	MN	A	157 ft	9
29	Chippewa Lake	Douglas	MN	A	95 ft	19
30	Otter Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	64 ft	7
31	Cowdry Lake	Douglas	MN	A	52 ft	19
32	Ossawinnamakee Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	63 ft	18
33	Clear Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	63 ft	15
34	Clear Lake	Aitkin	MN	A	24 ft	14
35	Clear Lake	Itasca	MN	A	30 ft	9
36	Eagle Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	46 ft	10
37	West Fox Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	55 ft	15
38	Spearhead Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	81 ft	17
39	Ida Lake	Douglas	MN	A	106 ft	19
40	Star Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	83 ft	12
41	Star Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	94 ft	17
42	Upper Maple Lake	Wright	MN	A	76 ft	15
43	Partridge Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	42 ft	10
44	Fish Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	69 ft	17
45	Sand Lake	Cass	MN	A	54 ft	12
46	Roger Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	64 ft	12
47	Square Lake	Washington	MN	A	68 ft	9
48	Andrusia Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	60 ft	21
49	Girl Lake	Cass	MN	A	81 ft	18
50	Little Toad Lake	Becker	MN	A	65 ft	15

Showing top 50 of 2,353 lakes with northern pike.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many lakes have northern pike?

Northern Pike are found in 945 lakes across Minnesota and Wisconsin, 0 in Minnesota and 945 in Wisconsin. The average water quality grade of lakes with northern pike is B (Good).

What are the best lakes for northern pike?

The best northern pike lakes by water quality are East Fox Lake, Deep Portage Lake, Lower Hay Lake, Latoka Lake, Bad Medicine Lake. These lakes have the highest water quality grades among all lakes where northern pike have been documented by state DNR surveys.

What other fish are found with northern pike?

Northern Pike are most commonly found alongside northern pike, yellow perch, bluegill, black crappie, largemouth bass. These species share similar habitat preferences in the region's lakes.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.