White Crappie Lakes in Minnesota

Found in 101 Minnesota lakes · 8 in North Dakota

Panfish like White Crappie are the workhorses of Minnesota 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.

101

Minnesota Lakes

Avg. Grade

Grade A Lakes

Counties

Best White Crappie Lakes in Minnesota

Rank	Lake	County	Grade	Clarity	Depth
1	Courthouse Lake	Carver	A	18.9 ft	57 ft
2	Moon Lake	Douglas	A	21 ft	38 ft
3	Lower Prior Lake	Scott	B	10 ft	60 ft
4	Pierz Lake	Morrison	B	9.5 ft	34 ft
5	Demontreville Lake	Washington	B	10.2 ft	24 ft
6	Lake St. Croix	Washington	B	5.2 ft	78 ft
7	Fish Lake	Hennepin	B	8.2 ft	49 ft
8	Comfort Lake	Chisago	C	6 ft	47 ft
9	Perch Lake	Lincoln	C	9.3 ft	16.2 ft
10	Carrie Lake	Kandiyohi	C	4.5 ft	26 ft
11	Forest Lake	Washington	C	5.1 ft	37 ft
12	St. Croix Lake	Washington	C	8.7 ft	78 ft
13	Wolfe Park Lake	Hennepin	C	5.9 ft	25 ft
14	Charley Lake	Ramsey	C	4.6 ft	21 ft
15	Oak Lake	Carver	C	4.5 ft	11 ft
16	Upper Prior Lake	Scott	C	5 ft	50 ft
17	Pool of Lake St. Croix	Washington	C	4.3 ft	78 ft
18	French Lake	Wright	C	4.3 ft	50 ft
19	Pool on Lake St. Croix	Washington	C	5.9 ft	78 ft
20	Long Lake	Pine	D	6.5 ft	24 ft
21	Zumbro Lake	Olmsted	D	4 ft	43 ft
22	Fish Lake	Scott	D	3.9 ft	28 ft
23	Whaletail Lake	Hennepin	D	3.3 ft	22 ft
24	Barrett Lake	Grant	D	4 ft	28 ft
25	Pickerel Lake	Dakota	D	3.5 ft	11 ft
26	Pomme de Terre Lake	Grant	D	4.5 ft	23 ft
27	Reeds Lake	Waseca	D	6 ft	58 ft
28	Martin Lake	Anoka	D	2.5 ft	20 ft
29	Evergreen Pnds Lake	Ramsey	D	5.9 ft	18 ft
30	St. Olaf Lake	Waseca	D	5 ft	33 ft
31	Hendricks Lake	Lincoln	D	6.5 ft	9 ft
32	Deep Lake	Ramsey	D	3.9 ft	11 ft
33	Buffalo Lake	Wright	D	3 ft	33 ft
34	Lake Jefferson	Le Sueur	D	4 ft	37 ft
35	German Lake	Le Sueur	D	3.5 ft	51 ft
36	Winona Lake	Winona	D	2.6 ft	38 ft
37	Madison Lake	Blue Earth	D	4 ft	59 ft
38	Round Lake	Jackson	D	2 ft	9 ft
39	Big Swan Lake	Meeker	D	2.6 ft	32 ft
40	Clear Lake	Martin	D	1 ft	7 ft
41	Washington Lake	Le Sueur	D	4.5 ft	51 ft
42	Cedar Lake	Rice	D	2 ft	42 ft
43	Ballantyne Lake	Blue Earth	D	2.5 ft	58 ft
44	Emily Lake	Le Sueur	D	2 ft	37 ft
45	Crosby Lake	Ramsey	D	6.6 ft	19 ft
46	Rock Lake	Wright	D	2.6 ft	37 ft
47	Swan Lake	McLeod	D	2.6 ft	10 ft
48	Briggs Lake	Sherburne	D	3 ft	25 ft
49	Julia Lake	Sherburne	D	2 ft	15 ft
50	Upper Lake	Ramsey	D	6.2 ft	19 ft

Showing top 50 of 101 lakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Minnesota lakes have white crappie?

White Crappie are found in 101 lakes in Minnesota. The average water quality grade of these lakes is D (Poor).

What are the best white crappie lakes in Minnesota?

The best white crappie lakes in Minnesota by water quality are Courthouse Lake, Moon Lake, Lower Prior Lake, Pierz Lake, Demontreville Lake.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.