White Crappie Lakes in Minnesota, Wisconsin & Michigan

PanfishFound in 8 lakes

Panfish like White Crappie are the workhorses of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan recreational fishing — abundant, accessible, present in 8 surveyed lakes. White Crappie is narrowly distributed — only 8 lakes in North Dakota have a documented record. The constraint is usually habitat: cold water, specific depth profile, or river connection.

Panfish species like White Crappie tolerate a wide range of water quality, so their presence in a lake says less about the lake than the absence of a game-fish would. Cross-reference the White Crappie lake list below against the LakeGrade rubric: lakes with both an A or B grade and White Crappie documented are the best places to start for recreational targeting.

Total Lakes

North Dakota lakes →

Avg. Grade

28 ft

Avg. Depth

Water Quality of White Crappie Lakes

16%

33%

44%

Best White Crappie Lakes by Water Quality

Top 50 lakes with white crappie ranked by overall water quality grade.

Rank	Lake	County	State	Grade	Depth	Species
1	Courthouse Lake	Carver	MN	A	57 ft	10
2	Moon Lake	Douglas	MN	A	38 ft	12
3	Lower Prior Lake	Scott	MN	B	60 ft	15
4	Pierz Lake	Morrison	MN	B	34 ft	16
5	Demontreville Lake	Washington	MN	B	24 ft	12
6	Lake St. Croix	Washington	MN	B	78 ft	36
7	Fish Lake	Hennepin	MN	B	49 ft	16
8	Jamestown Reservoir	Stutsman	ND	B	36.2 ft	9
9	Comfort Lake	Chisago	MN	C	47 ft	15
10	Perch Lake	Lincoln	MN	C	16.2 ft	12
11	Carrie Lake	Kandiyohi	MN	C	26 ft	13
12	Forest Lake	Washington	MN	C	37 ft	18
13	St. Croix Lake	Washington	MN	C	78 ft	36
14	Wolfe Park Lake	Hennepin	MN	C	25 ft	10
15	Lake Tschida	Grant	ND	C	57 ft	13
16	Lake Tschida	Grant	ND	C	57 ft	13
17	Trenton Lake	Williams	ND	C	8.1 ft	11
18	Charley Lake	Ramsey	MN	C	21 ft	20
19	Oak Lake	Carver	MN	C	11 ft	12
20	Upper Prior Lake	Scott	MN	C	50 ft	16
21	Pool of Lake St. Croix	Washington	MN	C	78 ft	36
22	French Lake	Wright	MN	C	50 ft	15
23	Pool on Lake St. Croix	Washington	MN	C	78 ft	36
24	Lake Tschida	Grant	ND	C	57 ft	13
25	Lake Tschida	Grant	ND	C	57 ft	13
26	Long Lake	Pine	MN	D	24 ft	13
27	Zumbro Lake	Olmsted	MN	D	43 ft	24
28	Fish Lake	Scott	MN	D	28 ft	14
29	Whaletail Lake	Hennepin	MN	D	22 ft	13
30	Barrett Lake	Grant	MN	D	28 ft	23
31	Pickerel Lake	Dakota	MN	D	11 ft	15
32	Pomme de Terre Lake	Grant	MN	D	23 ft	22
33	Reeds Lake	Waseca	MN	D	58 ft	15
34	Martin Lake	Anoka	MN	D	20 ft	13
35	Evergreen Pnds Lake	Ramsey	MN	D	18 ft	9
36	St. Olaf Lake	Waseca	MN	D	33 ft	11
37	Hendricks Lake	Lincoln	MN	D	9 ft	18
38	Deep Lake	Ramsey	MN	D	11 ft	19
39	Buffalo Lake	Wright	MN	D	33 ft	20
40	Lake Jefferson	Le Sueur	MN	D	37 ft	18
41	German Lake	Le Sueur	MN	D	51 ft	19
42	Winona Lake	Winona	MN	D	38 ft	24
43	Madison Lake	Blue Earth	MN	D	59 ft	20
44	Jamestown Reservoir	Stutsman	ND	D	36.2 ft	9
45	Round Lake	Jackson	MN	D	9 ft	17
46	Big Swan Lake	Meeker	MN	D	32 ft	23
47	Clear Lake	Martin	MN	D	7 ft	12
48	Washington Lake	Le Sueur	MN	D	51 ft	18
49	Cedar Lake	Rice	MN	D	42 ft	18
50	Ballantyne Lake	Blue Earth	MN	D	58 ft	16

Showing top 50 of 109 lakes with white crappie.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many lakes have white crappie?

White Crappie are found in 8 graded lakes: 8 in North Dakota. The average water quality grade of lakes with white crappie is C (Fair).

What are the best lakes for white crappie?

The best white crappie lakes by water quality are Courthouse Lake, Moon Lake, Lower Prior Lake, Pierz Lake, Demontreville Lake. These lakes have the highest water quality grades among all lakes where white crappie have been documented by state DNR surveys.

What other fish are found with white crappie?

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

Other Fish Species in White Crappie Lakes

Black Crappie Lakes

Found together in 99 lakes · 41 total

Yellow Perch Lakes

Found together in 97 lakes · 113 total

Bluegill Lakes

Found together in 96 lakes · 240 total

Northern pike Lakes

Found together in 95 lakes · 99 total

Common carp Lakes

Found together in 94 lakes · 6 total

Black bullhead Lakes

Found together in 91 lakes · 28 total

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.