Sunfish Fishing Guide

Other SpeciesDocumented in 35 graded lakes across 1 state

Sunfish is a rough-fish species — typically common in productive, nutrient-rich lakes, sometimes treated as a management nuisance by anglers targeting game-fish. 35 lakes carry documentation. Sunfish is narrowly distributed — only 35 lakes in Minnesota 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 Sunfish lake list below against the letter grades: lakes with both an A or B grade and Sunfish documented are the best places to start for recreational targeting.

Sunfish Seasonal Forecast & Techniques

Part of the LakeQuality Fishing Forecast. Spawn trigger: Bluegill, crappie, and perch move shallow to spawn in warming late-spring bays. Forage: Insects, zooplankton, and small minnows. For a forecast tuned to a specific lake's measured clarity and depth, open that lake's forecast.

Season	Where they hold	Structure & cover	Technique
Spring	shallow 2–8 ft	warming bays, weed and brush cover	small jigs and live bait under a float
Summer	weed edges 6–18 ft	deeper weedlines, docks, brush	small jigs, slip-bobbers, live bait
Fall	mid 8–20 ft	deeper weed edges and basin	small jigs and spoons
Winter / Ice	8–25 ft	basin holes and deep weed edges	tungsten ice jigs with waxworms/minnows

Clear-water tactics:tiny natural jigs, light lineStained-water tactics:brighter jigs, scent, slower presentation

Total Lakes

Minnesota lakes →

Avg. Grade

49 ft

Avg. Depth

Water Quality of Sunfish Lakes

49%

14%

Best Sunfish Lakes by Water Quality

Top 50 lakes with sunfish ranked by overall water quality grade.

Rank	Lake	County	State	Grade	Depth	Species
1	Mud Lake	Becker	MN	A	34 ft	16
2	Washburn Lake	Cass	MN	A	111 ft	21
3	Maple Lake	Itasca	MN	A	39 ft	13
4	Gull Lake	Cass	MN	A	80 ft	22
5	Floyd Lake	Becker	MN	A	34 ft	16
6	Plantagenet Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	65 ft	20
7	Minnewaska Lake	Pope	MN	A	32 ft	21
8	Bad Axe Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	39 ft	13
9	Carlos Lake	Douglas	MN	A	163 ft	21
10	Lower Cullen Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	39 ft	16
11	Tamarac Lake	Becker	MN	A	34 ft	16
12	Isabella Lake	Lake	MN	A	19 ft	11
13	Mead Lake	Itasca	MN	A	18 ft	7
14	Lasalle Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	213 ft	15
15	Sunrise Lake	Chisago	MN	A	21 ft	10
16	Green Water Lake	Becker	MN	A	57 ft	9
17	Silver Island Lake	Lake	MN	A	16 ft	11
18	Reno Lake	Pope	MN	C	23 ft	18
19	Greenwood Lake	Lake	MN	C	7 ft	7
20	Lake Winnibigoshish	Cass	MN	C	69.8 ft	20
21	Tamarack Bay Lake	Cass	MN	C	69.8 ft	20
22	Third River Flowage Lake	Itasca	MN	C	69.8 ft	20
23	Perch Lake	Lincoln	MN	D	16.2 ft	12
24	Bald Eagle Lake	Ramsey	MN	D	36 ft	13
25	Marion Lake	McLeod	MN	F	15.2 ft	13
26	Hunt Lake	Rice	MN	F	27 ft	18
27	Sand Lake	Pine	MN	NR	47 ft	15
28	Rhine Lake	Pine	MN	NR	8 ft	9
29	Del Clark Lake	Yellow Medicine	MN	NR	30 ft	14
30	Silver Lake	Crow Wing	MN	NR	23 ft	6
31	Rock Lake	Crow Wing	MN	NR	22 ft	17
32	Pomme de Terre Lake	Grant	MN	NR	23 ft	22
33	Eleven Lake	Pine	MN	NR	49 ft	9
34	Hendricks Lake	Lincoln	MN	NR	9 ft	18
35	Alvin Lake	Douglas	MN	NR	163 ft	21

Frequently Asked Questions

How many lakes have sunfish?

Sunfish are found in 35 graded lakes: 35 in Minnesota. The average water quality grade of lakes with sunfish is B (Good).

What are the best lakes for sunfish?

The best sunfish lakes by water quality are Mud Lake, Washburn Lake, Maple Lake, Gull Lake, Floyd Lake. These lakes have the highest water quality grades among all lakes where sunfish have been documented by state DNR surveys.

What other fish are found with sunfish?

Sunfish are most commonly found alongside bluegill, sunfish, yellow perch, northern pike, black crappie. These species share similar habitat preferences in the region's lakes.

Other Fish Species in Sunfish Lakes

Bluegill Lakes

Found together in 35 lakes · 1,601 total

Yellow Perch Lakes

Found together in 35 lakes · 1,631 total

Northern Pike Lakes

Found together in 33 lakes · 2,487 total

Black Crappie Lakes

Found together in 32 lakes · 1,428 total

Largemouth Bass Lakes

Found together in 32 lakes · 2,593 total

Pumpkinseed Lakes

Found together in 29 lakes · 1,370 total

Fish species from state agency survey, stocking, and public fishing-access records; water-quality grades from the EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys. Species profiles are general reference; always check current state regulations before fishing.