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 almost always carry low nutrient and algae readings, because the cold, deep, well-oxygenated conditions trout need produce clear, low-phosphorus water almost as a side effect.
Rainbow Trout Lakes Map
Every Minnesota lake with documented rainbow trout.
Best Rainbow Trout Lakes in Minnesota
Catch per net is how many rainbow trout MPCA counted in each standard gill nets on that lake’s most recent survey.
Catch per net measures abundance in the survey, not size or fishing pressure.
| Rank | Lake | County | Rainbow Trout per gill net | Survey | Mean length | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Newman Lake fishing | Hubbard | 44.50 | June 1, 2021 | 9.2 in | 45 |
| 2 | Leo Lake fishing | Cook | 12.00 | September 16, 2025 | - | 102 |
| 3 | Birch Lake fishing | Cook | 5.67 | August 21, 2023 | 12.8 in | 236 |
| 4 | Island Lake fishing | Clearwater | 4.33 | June 9, 2022 | 13.8 in | 44 |
| 5 | Bad Medicine Lake fishing | Becker | 3.44 | July 11, 2022 | - | 803 |
| 6 | Long Lake fishing | Clearwater | 3.33 | June 13, 2022 | - | 159 |
| 7 | St James Pit Lake fishing | St. Louis | 2.17 | May 22, 2024 | 11.6 in | 124 |
| 8 | Bean Lake fishing | Lake | 1.50 | September 30, 2024 | - | 31 |
| 9 | Little Mud Lake fishing | Meeker | 1.00 | January 18, 2025 | - | 37 |
| 10 | Mayhew Lake fishing | Cook | 1.00 | July 8, 2023 | 12 in | 221 |
10 Minnesota lakes have a rainbow trout catch rate on record from the last ten years.
Cite this data: LakeQuality. “Best Rainbow Trout Lakes in Minnesota.” Data: Minnesota Pollution Control Agency fisheries surveys. Retrieved August 26, 2026. https://www.lakequality.org/fish/rainbow-trout/mn
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Minnesota lakes have rainbow trout?
Rainbow Trout are found in 23 lakes in Minnesota.
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 readings from the EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys.