Yellow bullhead Lakes in Minnesota

Found in 1,030 Minnesota lakes · 78 in Michigan

Yellow bullhead is a rough-fish species — typically common in productive, nutrient-rich lakes, sometimes treated as a management nuisance by anglers targeting game-fish. 78 lakes carry documentation. Yellow bullhead is narrowly distributed — only 78 lakes in Michigan 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 Yellow bullhead lake list below against the LakeGrade rubric: lakes with both an A or B grade and Yellow bullhead documented are the best places to start for recreational targeting.

1,030

Minnesota Lakes

Avg. Grade

343

Grade A Lakes

Counties

Best Yellow bullhead Lakes in Minnesota

Rank	Lake	County	Grade	Clarity	Depth
1	East Fox Lake	Crow Wing	A	16.4 ft	65 ft
2	North Long Lake	Crow Wing	A	15.1 ft	97 ft
3	Big Sugar Bush Lake	Becker	A	16.5 ft	42 ft
4	Horseshoe Lake	Cass	A	21 ft	51 ft
5	Long Lake	Cass	A	21.5 ft	115 ft
6	Long Lake	Clearwater	A	20.5 ft	80 ft
7	Long Lake	Becker	A	19.3 ft	61 ft
8	Long Lake	Cass	A	17 ft	37 ft
9	Long Lake	Itasca	A	16.7 ft	72 ft
10	Long Lake	Itasca	A	16.9 ft	85 ft
11	Dead Lake	Hubbard	A	16 ft	34 ft
12	Ossawinnamakee Lake	Crow Wing	A	20 ft	63 ft
13	Clear Lake	Crow Wing	A	18 ft	63 ft
14	Clear Lake	Aitkin	A	15 ft	24 ft
15	Eagle Lake	Otter Tail	A	22.6 ft	46 ft
16	West Fox Lake	Crow Wing	A	15 ft	55 ft
17	Spearhead Lake	Hubbard	A	15 ft	81 ft
18	Ida Lake	Douglas	A	16.4 ft	106 ft
19	Star Lake	Crow Wing	A	19 ft	83 ft
20	Star Lake	Otter Tail	A	17 ft	94 ft
21	Upper Maple Lake	Wright	A	17.2 ft	76 ft
22	Fish Lake	Otter Tail	A	18 ft	69 ft
23	Birch Lake	Wright	A	15 ft	52 ft
24	Girl Lake	Cass	A	17.6 ft	81 ft
25	Little Toad Lake	Becker	A	15 ft	65 ft
26	Charlotte Lake	Wright	A	17.1 ft	46 ft
27	Bass Lake	Crow Wing	A	16.1 ft	47 ft
28	Bass Lake	Cass	A	-	55 ft
29	Crooked Lake	Stearns	A	15.5 ft	35 ft
30	Crooked Lake	Crow Wing	A	15 ft	54 ft
31	Cedar Lake	Morrison	A	16.2 ft	88 ft
32	Pelican Lake	Otter Tail	A	16.4 ft	55 ft
33	Square Lake	Washington	A	17 ft	68 ft
34	Lower Bottle Lake	Hubbard	A	15 ft	110 ft
35	Big Pine Lake	Aitkin	A	17 ft	78 ft
36	Strawberry Lake	Becker	A	17.5 ft	40 ft
37	Alexander Lake	Morrison	A	16.5 ft	64 ft
38	Gull Lake	Cass	A	15 ft	80 ft
39	Deep Portage Lake	Cass	A	15.4 ft	105 ft
40	Lower Hay Lake	Crow Wing	A	18.5 ft	100 ft
41	Unnamed Lake	Otter Tail	A	15.1 ft	95 ft
42	Maple Lake	Itasca	A	15.3 ft	39 ft
43	Shallow Lake	Itasca	A	16.4 ft	85 ft
44	Trout Lake	Itasca	A	16 ft	135 ft
45	Cowdry Lake	Douglas	A	17.1 ft	52 ft
46	Blue Lake	Hubbard	A	17.3 ft	84 ft
47	Partridge Lake	Crow Wing	A	16.2 ft	42 ft
48	Sand Lake	Cass	A	20 ft	54 ft
49	Andrusia Lake	Beltrami	A	15.1 ft	60 ft
50	Big Mcdonald Lake	Otter Tail	A	17.4 ft	46 ft

Showing top 50 of 1,030 lakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Minnesota lakes have yellow bullhead?

Yellow bullhead are found in 1,030 lakes in Minnesota. The average water quality grade of these lakes is C (Fair).

What are the best yellow bullhead lakes in Minnesota?

The best yellow bullhead lakes in Minnesota by water quality are East Fox Lake, North Long Lake, Big Sugar Bush Lake, Horseshoe Lake, Long Lake.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.