Rainbow trout Lakes in Minnesota, Wisconsin & Michigan

Other SpeciesFound in 14 lakes

Rainbow trout is a rough-fish species — typically common in productive, nutrient-rich lakes, sometimes treated as a management nuisance by anglers targeting game-fish. 14 lakes carry documentation. Rainbow trout is narrowly distributed — only 14 lakes in Michigan have a documented record. The constraint is usually habitat: cold water, specific depth profile, or river connection.

Rough-fish-dominant lakes are worth checking the grade on: a rough-fish-heavy fishery often reflects an underlying nutrient-loading problem in the watershed. Cross-reference the Rainbow trout lake list below against the LakeGrade rubric: lakes with both an A or B grade and Rainbow trout documented are the best places to start for recreational targeting.

Total Lakes

Michigan lakes →

Avg. Grade

58 ft

Avg. Depth

Water Quality of Rainbow trout Lakes

43%

30%

11%

16%

Best Rainbow trout Lakes by Water Quality

Top 50 lakes with rainbow trout ranked by overall water quality grade.

Rank	Lake	County	State	Grade	Depth	Species
1	Bad Medicine Lake	Becker	MN	A	84 ft	13
2	Long Lake	Clearwater	MN	A	80 ft	15
3	Birch Lake	Cook	MN	A	69 ft	3
4	Trout Lake	Cook	MN	A	77 ft	6
5	Blue Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	84 ft	13
6	Tofte Lake	Lake	MN	A	73 ft	3
7	Big Watab Lake	Stearns	MN	A	123 ft	15
8	Leo Lake	Cook	MN	A	28 ft	3
9	Mayhew Lake	Cook	MN	A	84 ft	8
10	St James Pit Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	381 ft	5
11	Newman Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	63 ft	3
12	Sagamore Mine Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	210 ft	11
13	Miner'S Pit West Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	140 ft	9
14	Erskine Lake	Itasca	MN	A	56 ft	3
15	Long Lake	Grand Traverse	MI	A	-	40
16	Opal Lake	Otsego	MI	A	-	11
17	Burt Lake	Cheboygan	MI	A	-	33
18	Long Lake	Cheboygan	MI	A	-	40
19	Crooked Lake	Emmet	MI	A	-	26
20	Elk Lake	Antrim	MI	A	-	27
21	Big Blue Lake North Basin; Blue Lake Township	Kalkaska	MI	A	-	17
22	Island Lake	Clearwater	MN	A	58 ft	5
23	Beaver Lake	Alger	MI	A	-	14
24	Qacmainstfbk Lake	Mercer	ND	A	-	1
25	Divide Lake	Lake	MN	B	22 ft	3
26	Bean Lake	Lake	MN	B	26 ft	3
27	Beaver Lake	Keweenaw	MI	B	-	16
28	Long Lake	Gogebic	MI	B	-	40
29	Long Lake	Benzie	MI	B	-	40
30	Crooked Lake	Barry	MI	B	-	27
31	Elk Lake	Antrim	MI	B	-	27
32	Long Lake	Gogebic	MI	B	-	40
33	Velva Sportsmans Dam Lake	Ward	ND	B	23.2 ft	3
34	Arroda Lake	Oliver	ND	B	36.7 ft	4
35	Kota Ray Dam Lake	Williams	ND	B	26.2 ft	6
36	Hooker Lake	Rolette	ND	B	25.4 ft	2
37	Qacmainstdup Lake	Mercer	ND	B	-	1
38	Northgate Dam Lake	Burke	ND	B	23.6 ft	5
39	North Lemmon Lake	Adams	ND	B	31.4 ft	6
40	Lutz Dam Lake	Bowman	ND	B	12.6 ft	4
41	Kettle Lake	Williams	ND	B	35.8 ft	3
42	Esther Lake	Cook	MN	C	35 ft	3
43	Little Mud Lake	Meeker	MN	C	42 ft	8
44	Mooreton Pond	Richland	ND	C	19.5 ft	6
45	Moon Lake	Barnes	ND	C	54.3 ft	5
46	Belfield Dam Lake	Stark	ND	C	16.3 ft	4
47	Harmony Lake	Mercer	ND	C	21.2 ft	4
48	Briar Lake	St. Louis	MN	D	21 ft	3
49	Loon Lake	Aitkin	MN	D	21 ft	3
50	Upper Estuary Lake	St. Louis	MN	D	55 ft	33

Showing top 50 of 56 lakes with rainbow trout.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many lakes have rainbow trout?

Rainbow trout are found in 14 graded lakes: 14 in Michigan. The average water quality grade of lakes with rainbow trout is A (Excellent).

What are the best lakes for rainbow trout?

The best rainbow trout lakes by water quality are Bad Medicine Lake, Long Lake, Birch Lake, Trout Lake, Blue Lake. These lakes have the highest water quality grades among all lakes where rainbow trout have been documented by state DNR surveys.

What other fish are found with rainbow trout?

Rainbow trout are most commonly found alongside rainbow trout, bluegill, white sucker, rainbow trout, bluntnose minnow. These species share similar habitat preferences in the region's lakes.

Other Fish Species in Rainbow trout Lakes

Bluegill Lakes

Found together in 21 lakes · 240 total

White sucker Lakes

Found together in 19 lakes · 121 total

Bluntnose minnow Lakes

Found together in 14 lakes · 171 total

Walleye Lakes

Found together in 14 lakes · 840 total

White sucker Lakes

Found together in 14 lakes · 121 total

Yellow Perch Lakes

Found together in 14 lakes · 113 total

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.