sunfish Lakes in Minnesota

Found in 33 Minnesota lakes

Rough fish like sunfish are often associated with eutrophic, nutrient-loaded waters. Their presence — documented in 33 Minnesota lakes — is often a signal of how the rest of the fishery is functioning. sunfish is narrowly distributed — only 33 Minnesota lakes and 0 Wisconsin lakes 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 LakeGrade rubric: lakes with both an A or B grade and sunfish documented are the best places to start for recreational targeting.

Minnesota Lakes

Avg. Grade

Grade A Lakes

Counties

Best sunfish Lakes in Minnesota

Rank	Lake	County	Grade	Clarity	Depth
1	Maple Lake	Itasca	A	15.3 ft	39 ft
2	Silver Lake	Crow Wing	A	17 ft	23 ft
3	Bad Axe Lake	Hubbard	A	15.4 ft	39 ft
4	Carlos Lake	Douglas	A	17.2 ft	163 ft
5	Lower Cullen Lake	Crow Wing	A	17.4 ft	39 ft
6	Washburn Lake	Cass	A	14 ft	111 ft
7	Gull Lake	Cass	A	14.5 ft	80 ft
8	Floyd Lake	Becker	A	13 ft	34 ft
9	Mead Lake	Itasca	A	10.7 ft	18 ft
10	Lake Winnibigoshish	Cass	A	16 ft	69.8 ft
11	Tamarack Bay Lake	Cass	A	11.5 ft	69.8 ft
12	Green Water Lake	Becker	A	12.1 ft	57 ft
13	Sunrise Lake	Chisago	B	7.7 ft	21 ft
14	Mud Lake	Becker	B	11.5 ft	34 ft
15	Sand Lake	Pine	B	10 ft	47 ft
16	Rock Lake	Crow Wing	B	7.4 ft	22 ft
17	Minnewaska Lake	Pope	B	11.2 ft	32 ft
18	Eleven Lake	Pine	B	11 ft	49 ft
19	Alvin Lake	Douglas	B	10.5 ft	163 ft
20	Lasalle Lake	Hubbard	B	6.9 ft	213 ft
21	Plantagenet Lake	Hubbard	B	6.7 ft	65 ft
22	Tamarac Lake	Becker	B	6.9 ft	34 ft
23	Third River Flowage Lake	Itasca	B	7.4 ft	69.8 ft
24	Perch Lake	Lincoln	C	9.3 ft	16.2 ft
25	Reno Lake	Pope	C	6.9 ft	23 ft
26	Bald Eagle Lake	Ramsey	C	5.9 ft	36 ft
27	Marion Lake	McLeod	D	-	15.2 ft
28	Del Clark Lake	Yellow Medicine	D	5 ft	30 ft
29	Pomme de Terre Lake	Grant	D	4 ft	23 ft
30	Hendricks Lake	Lincoln	D	6.2 ft	9 ft
31	Isabella Lake	Lake	D	5.8 ft	19 ft
32	Rhine Lake	Pine	F	2.5 ft	8 ft
33	Hunt Lake	Rice	F	3 ft	27 ft

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Minnesota lakes have sunfish?

sunfish are found in 33 lakes in Minnesota. The average water quality grade of these lakes is B (Good).

What are the best sunfish lakes in Minnesota?

The best sunfish lakes in Minnesota by water quality are Maple Lake, Silver Lake, Bad Axe Lake, Carlos Lake, Lower Cullen Lake.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.