Rainbow Trout Lakes in Minnesota

Found in 23 Minnesota lakes · 14 in Michigan

Rainbow Trout is a cold-water species, so the lakes where it is documented tend to be the deep, well-oxygenated basins that stay cold through the summer. 37 lakes carry a record. Rainbow Trout is narrowly distributed — only 23 lakes in Minnesota and 14 in Michigan have a documented record. The constraint is usually habitat: cold water, specific depth profile, or river connection.

Trout presence is itself a water-quality signal: a Minnesota lake that supports a Rainbow Trout population is almost certainly running cold enough and oxygenated enough to also support healthier overall water quality. Trout-supporting lakes are almost universally A- or B-grade — the cold, deep, well-oxygenated conditions trout need produce the higher grades almost as a side effect.

Minnesota Lakes

Avg. Grade

Grade A Lakes

Counties

Rainbow Trout Lakes Map

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

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Best Rainbow Trout Lakes in Minnesota

Rank	Lake	County	Grade	Clarity	Depth
1	Bad Medicine Lake	Becker	A	25 ft	84 ft
2	Birch Lake	Cook	A	18 ft	69 ft
3	Long Lake	Clearwater	A	20.5 ft	80 ft
4	Trout Lake	Cook	A	18.4 ft	77 ft
5	Blue Lake	Hubbard	A	17.3 ft	84 ft
6	Island Lake	Clearwater	A	14.1 ft	58 ft
7	Mayhew Lake	Cook	A	20.6 ft	84 ft
8	Bean Lake	Lake	A	9.8 ft	26 ft
9	Newman Lake	Hubbard	A	17.1 ft	63 ft
10	Erskine Lake	Itasca	A	18 ft	56 ft
11	Blue Lake	Scott	C	1.9 ft	50 ft
12	Little Mud Lake	Meeker	C	5.9 ft	42 ft
13	Upper Estuary Lake	St. Louis	C	1.9 ft	55 ft
14	Tofte Lake	Lake	NR	18.5 ft	73 ft
15	Esther Lake	Cook	NR	9.5 ft	35 ft
16	Briar Lake	St. Louis	NR	6 ft	21 ft
17	Big Watab Lake	Stearns	NR	20.5 ft	123 ft
18	Leo Lake	Cook	NR	15 ft	28 ft
19	Loon Lake	Aitkin	NR	4 ft	21 ft
20	St James Pit Lake	St. Louis	NR	47.6 ft	381 ft
21	Divide Lake	Lake	NR	10.1 ft	22 ft
22	Sagamore Mine Lake	Crow Wing	NR	23.8 ft	210 ft
23	Miner'S Pit West Lake	St. Louis	NR	23.1 ft	140 ft

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Minnesota lakes have rainbow trout?

Rainbow Trout are found in 23 lakes in Minnesota. The average water quality grade of these lakes is A (Excellent).

What are the best rainbow trout lakes in Minnesota?

The best rainbow trout lakes in Minnesota by water quality are Bad Medicine Lake, Birch Lake, Long Lake, Trout Lake, Blue Lake.

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