sunfish Lakes in Minnesota

Found in 35 Minnesota lakes

Rough fish like sunfish are often associated with eutrophic, nutrient-loaded waters. Their presence — documented in 35 Minnesota lakes — is often a signal of how the rest of the fishery is functioning. 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 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	Gull Lake	Cass	A	15 ft	80 ft
2	Maple Lake	Itasca	A	15.3 ft	39 ft
3	Silver Lake	Crow Wing	A	17 ft	23 ft
4	Bad Axe Lake	Hubbard	A	15.1 ft	39 ft
5	Carlos Lake	Douglas	A	18 ft	163 ft
6	Lower Cullen Lake	Crow Wing	A	17.4 ft	39 ft
7	Washburn Lake	Cass	A	14.1 ft	111 ft
8	Floyd Lake	Becker	A	13.1 ft	34 ft
9	Mead Lake	Itasca	A	10.7 ft	18 ft
10	Tamarack Bay Lake	Cass	A	11.5 ft	69.8 ft
11	Green Water Lake	Becker	A	12.1 ft	57 ft
12	Sunrise Lake	Chisago	B	8.4 ft	21 ft
13	Mud Lake	Becker	B	12.5 ft	34 ft
14	Sand Lake	Pine	B	10 ft	47 ft
15	Rock Lake	Crow Wing	B	7.4 ft	22 ft
16	Minnewaska Lake	Pope	B	11 ft	32 ft
17	Eleven Lake	Pine	B	11 ft	49 ft
18	Alvin Lake	Douglas	B	10.2 ft	163 ft
19	Lasalle Lake	Hubbard	B	6.9 ft	213 ft
20	Lake Winnibigoshish	Cass	B	12.1 ft	69.8 ft
21	Plantagenet Lake	Hubbard	B	7 ft	65 ft
22	Tamarac Lake	Becker	B	6.9 ft	34 ft
23	Third River Flowage Lake	Itasca	B	6.9 ft	69.8 ft
24	Perch Lake	Lincoln	C	9.3 ft	16.2 ft
25	Reno Lake	Pope	C	7.5 ft	23 ft
26	Isabella Lake	Lake	C	4.4 ft	19 ft
27	Silver Island Lake	Lake	C	4.4 ft	16 ft
28	Bald Eagle Lake	Ramsey	C	5.6 ft	36 ft
29	Greenwood Lake	Lake	C	2.1 ft	7 ft
30	Marion Lake	McLeod	D	-	15.2 ft
31	Del Clark Lake	Yellow Medicine	D	5 ft	30 ft
32	Pomme de Terre Lake	Grant	D	4.5 ft	23 ft
33	Hendricks Lake	Lincoln	D	6.5 ft	9 ft
34	Rhine Lake	Pine	F	2.5 ft	8 ft
35	Hunt Lake	Rice	F	3 ft	27 ft

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Minnesota lakes have sunfish?

sunfish are found in 35 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 Gull Lake, Maple Lake, Silver Lake, Bad Axe Lake, Carlos Lake.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.