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 letter grades: 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

Sunfish Lakes Map

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

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Best Sunfish Lakes in Minnesota

Rank	Lake	County	Grade	Clarity	Depth
1	Mud Lake	Becker	A	12.5 ft	34 ft
2	Washburn Lake	Cass	A	14.1 ft	111 ft
3	Maple Lake	Itasca	A	15.3 ft	39 ft
4	Gull Lake	Cass	A	15 ft	80 ft
5	Floyd Lake	Becker	A	13.1 ft	34 ft
6	Plantagenet Lake	Hubbard	A	7 ft	65 ft
7	Minnewaska Lake	Pope	A	11 ft	32 ft
8	Bad Axe Lake	Hubbard	A	15.1 ft	39 ft
9	Carlos Lake	Douglas	A	18 ft	163 ft
10	Lower Cullen Lake	Crow Wing	A	17.4 ft	39 ft
11	Tamarac Lake	Becker	A	6.9 ft	34 ft
12	Isabella Lake	Lake	A	4.4 ft	19 ft
13	Mead Lake	Itasca	A	10.7 ft	18 ft
14	Lasalle Lake	Hubbard	A	6.9 ft	213 ft
15	Sunrise Lake	Chisago	A	8.4 ft	21 ft
16	Green Water Lake	Becker	A	12.1 ft	57 ft
17	Silver Island Lake	Lake	A	4.4 ft	16 ft
18	Reno Lake	Pope	C	7.5 ft	23 ft
19	Greenwood Lake	Lake	C	2.1 ft	7 ft
20	Lake Winnibigoshish	Cass	C	12.1 ft	69.8 ft
21	Tamarack Bay Lake	Cass	C	11.5 ft	69.8 ft
22	Third River Flowage Lake	Itasca	C	6.9 ft	69.8 ft
23	Perch Lake	Lincoln	D	9.3 ft	16.2 ft
24	Bald Eagle Lake	Ramsey	D	5.6 ft	36 ft
25	Marion Lake	McLeod	F	-	15.2 ft
26	Hunt Lake	Rice	F	3 ft	27 ft
27	Sand Lake	Pine	NR	10 ft	47 ft
28	Rhine Lake	Pine	NR	2.5 ft	8 ft
29	Del Clark Lake	Yellow Medicine	NR	5 ft	30 ft
30	Silver Lake	Crow Wing	NR	17 ft	23 ft
31	Rock Lake	Crow Wing	NR	7.4 ft	22 ft
32	Pomme de Terre Lake	Grant	NR	4.5 ft	23 ft
33	Eleven Lake	Pine	NR	11 ft	49 ft
34	Hendricks Lake	Lincoln	NR	6.5 ft	9 ft
35	Alvin Lake	Douglas	NR	10.2 ft	163 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 Mud Lake, Washburn Lake, Maple Lake, Gull Lake, Floyd Lake.

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