Northern Pike Lakes in Minnesota

Found in 1,408 Minnesota lakes · 945 in Wisconsin

Northern Pike 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. 945 lakes in our dataset have documented Northern Pike. Northern Pike is widely distributed: 0 lakes in Minnesota and 945 in Wisconsin. That breadth means anglers in most counties of either state can find a documented Northern Pike lake within a reasonable drive.

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 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.

1,408

Minnesota Lakes

Avg. Grade

455

Grade A Lakes

Counties

Best Northern Pike Lakes in Minnesota

Rank	Lake	County	Grade	Clarity	Depth
1	East Fox Lake	Crow Wing	A	16.1 ft	65 ft
2	Deep Portage Lake	Cass	A	15.4 ft	105 ft
3	Lower Hay Lake	Crow Wing	A	19 ft	100 ft
4	Latoka Lake	Douglas	A	19 ft	108 ft
5	Bad Medicine Lake	Becker	A	25 ft	84 ft
6	Big Sugar Bush Lake	Becker	A	17 ft	42 ft
7	Pelican Lake	Otter Tail	A	16.1 ft	55 ft
8	Birch Lake	Wright	A	15 ft	52 ft
9	Birch Lake	Unknown	A	15 ft	34 ft
10	Round Lake	Aitkin	A	15.3 ft	59 ft
11	Round Lake	Cook	A	16.5 ft	45 ft
12	Pike Lake	Cook	A	17.8 ft	45 ft
13	Pike Lake	St. Louis	A	18 ft	60 ft
14	Whitefish Lake	Crow Wing	A	15.1 ft	138 ft
15	Horseshoe Lake	Cass	A	21 ft	51 ft
16	Long Lake	Clearwater	A	20 ft	80 ft
17	Long Lake	Cass	A	21.8 ft	115 ft
18	Long Lake	Beltrami	A	20 ft	87 ft
19	Long Lake	Becker	A	20 ft	61 ft
20	Long Lake	Cass	A	16.8 ft	37 ft
21	Long Lake	Itasca	A	16.7 ft	72 ft
22	Long Lake	Itasca	A	16.9 ft	85 ft
23	Dead Lake	Hubbard	A	16 ft	34 ft
24	Unnamed Lake	Otter Tail	A	15.1 ft	95 ft
25	Maple Lake	Itasca	A	15.3 ft	39 ft
26	Shallow Lake	Itasca	A	16.4 ft	85 ft
27	Trout Lake	Itasca	A	15.5 ft	135 ft
28	Trout Lake	Itasca	A	18 ft	157 ft
29	Chippewa Lake	Douglas	A	15.1 ft	95 ft
30	Otter Lake	Otter Tail	A	18 ft	64 ft
31	Cowdry Lake	Douglas	A	17 ft	52 ft
32	Ossawinnamakee Lake	Crow Wing	A	20 ft	63 ft
33	Clear Lake	Crow Wing	A	18 ft	63 ft
34	Clear Lake	Aitkin	A	16 ft	24 ft
35	Clear Lake	Itasca	A	14.9 ft	30 ft
36	Eagle Lake	Otter Tail	A	22.6 ft	46 ft
37	West Fox Lake	Crow Wing	A	15 ft	55 ft
38	Spearhead Lake	Hubbard	A	15 ft	81 ft
39	Ida Lake	Douglas	A	16.5 ft	106 ft
40	Star Lake	Crow Wing	A	19 ft	83 ft
41	Star Lake	Otter Tail	A	16.7 ft	94 ft
42	Upper Maple Lake	Wright	A	18 ft	76 ft
43	Partridge Lake	Crow Wing	A	16.2 ft	42 ft
44	Fish Lake	Otter Tail	A	17.8 ft	69 ft
45	Sand Lake	Cass	A	21 ft	54 ft
46	Roger Lake	Crow Wing	A	16 ft	64 ft
47	Square Lake	Washington	A	17 ft	68 ft
48	Andrusia Lake	Beltrami	A	15.5 ft	60 ft
49	Girl Lake	Cass	A	17 ft	81 ft
50	Little Toad Lake	Becker	A	15 ft	65 ft

Showing top 50 of 1,408 lakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Minnesota lakes have northern pike?

Northern Pike are found in 1,408 lakes in Minnesota. The average water quality grade of these lakes is C (Fair).

What are the best northern pike lakes in Minnesota?

The best northern pike lakes in Minnesota by water quality are East Fox Lake, Deep Portage Lake, Lower Hay Lake, Latoka Lake, Bad Medicine Lake.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.