Pumpkinseed Lakes in Minnesota

Found in 1,246 Minnesota lakes · 145 in Michigan

Pumpkinseed is panfish — the family of smaller, abundant species that anchor kid-friendly fishing and ice-fishing in Minnesota. Documented in 145 lakes across our dataset. Pumpkinseed is moderately distributed — 145 lakes in Michigan. Some counties have it, others do not, so checking the per-lake pages matters.

Panfish species like Pumpkinseed tolerate a wide range of water quality, so their presence in a lake says less about the lake than the absence of a game-fish would. Cross-reference the Pumpkinseed lake list below against the LakeGrade rubric: lakes with both an A or B grade and Pumpkinseed documented are the best places to start for recreational targeting.

1,246

Minnesota Lakes

Avg. Grade

415

Grade A Lakes

Counties

Best Pumpkinseed Lakes in Minnesota

Rank	Lake	County	Grade	Clarity	Depth
1	East Fox Lake	Crow Wing	A	16.4 ft	65 ft
2	North Long Lake	Crow Wing	A	15.1 ft	97 ft
3	Big Sugar Bush Lake	Becker	A	16.5 ft	42 ft
4	Horseshoe Lake	Cass	A	21 ft	51 ft
5	Long Lake	Cass	A	21.5 ft	115 ft
6	Long Lake	Clearwater	A	20.5 ft	80 ft
7	Long Lake	Beltrami	A	20 ft	87 ft
8	Long Lake	Becker	A	19.3 ft	61 ft
9	Long Lake	Cass	A	17 ft	37 ft
10	Long Lake	Itasca	A	16.7 ft	72 ft
11	Long Lake	Itasca	A	16.9 ft	85 ft
12	Dead Lake	Hubbard	A	16 ft	34 ft
13	Otter Lake	Otter Tail	A	18 ft	64 ft
14	Ossawinnamakee Lake	Crow Wing	A	20 ft	63 ft
15	Clear Lake	Crow Wing	A	18 ft	63 ft
16	Clear Lake	Aitkin	A	15 ft	24 ft
17	Clear Lake	Itasca	A	14.9 ft	30 ft
18	West Fox Lake	Crow Wing	A	15 ft	55 ft
19	Spearhead Lake	Hubbard	A	15 ft	81 ft
20	Ida Lake	Douglas	A	16.4 ft	106 ft
21	Star Lake	Otter Tail	A	17 ft	94 ft
22	Upper Maple Lake	Wright	A	17.2 ft	76 ft
23	Fish Lake	Otter Tail	A	18 ft	69 ft
24	Birch Lake	Wright	A	15 ft	52 ft
25	Birch Lake	Unknown	A	15 ft	34 ft
26	Girl Lake	Cass	A	17.6 ft	81 ft
27	Little Toad Lake	Becker	A	15 ft	65 ft
28	Charlotte Lake	Wright	A	17.1 ft	46 ft
29	Bass Lake	Crow Wing	A	16.1 ft	47 ft
30	Bass Lake	Cass	A	-	55 ft
31	Crooked Lake	Stearns	A	15.5 ft	35 ft
32	Crooked Lake	Crow Wing	A	15 ft	54 ft
33	Cedar Lake	Morrison	A	16.2 ft	88 ft
34	Pelican Lake	Otter Tail	A	16.4 ft	55 ft
35	Square Lake	Washington	A	17 ft	68 ft
36	Lower Bottle Lake	Hubbard	A	15 ft	110 ft
37	Big Pine Lake	Aitkin	A	17 ft	78 ft
38	Strawberry Lake	Becker	A	17.5 ft	40 ft
39	Alexander Lake	Morrison	A	16.5 ft	64 ft
40	Mcavity Lake	Itasca	A	17.3 ft	29 ft
41	Gull Lake	Cass	A	15 ft	80 ft
42	Deep Portage Lake	Cass	A	15.4 ft	105 ft
43	Little Wabana Lake	Itasca	A	24 ft	57 ft
44	Lower Hay Lake	Crow Wing	A	18.5 ft	100 ft
45	Latoka Lake	Douglas	A	19 ft	108 ft
46	Pike Lake	St. Louis	A	18 ft	60 ft
47	Unnamed Lake	Otter Tail	A	15.1 ft	95 ft
48	Maple Lake	Itasca	A	15.3 ft	39 ft
49	Shallow Lake	Itasca	A	16.4 ft	85 ft
50	Trout Lake	Itasca	A	16 ft	135 ft

Showing top 50 of 1,246 lakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Minnesota lakes have pumpkinseed?

Pumpkinseed are found in 1,246 lakes in Minnesota. The average water quality grade of these lakes is C (Fair).

What are the best pumpkinseed lakes in Minnesota?

The best pumpkinseed lakes in Minnesota by water quality are East Fox Lake, North Long Lake, Big Sugar Bush Lake, Horseshoe Lake, Long Lake.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.