Yellow Perch Lakes in Minnesota, Wisconsin & Michigan

PanfishFound in 113 lakes

Panfish like Yellow Perch are the workhorses of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan recreational fishing — abundant, accessible, present in 113 surveyed lakes. Yellow Perch is moderately distributed — 113 lakes in North Dakota. Some counties have it, others do not, so checking the per-lake pages matters.

Panfish species like Yellow Perch 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 Yellow Perch lake list below against the LakeGrade rubric: lakes with both an A or B grade and Yellow Perch documented are the best places to start for recreational targeting.

113

Total Lakes

113

North Dakota lakes →

Avg. Grade

44 ft

Avg. Depth

Water Quality of Yellow Perch Lakes

521

29%

454

26%

375

21%

269

15%

149

Best Yellow Perch Lakes by Water Quality

Top 50 lakes with yellow perch ranked by overall water quality grade.

Rank	Lake	County	State	Grade	Depth	Species
1	East Fox Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	65 ft	15
2	North Long Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	97 ft	18
3	Bad Medicine Lake	Becker	MN	A	84 ft	13
4	Big Sugar Bush Lake	Becker	MN	A	42 ft	13
5	Round Lake	Cook	MN	A	45 ft	5
6	Horseshoe Lake	Cass	MN	A	51 ft	12
7	Long Lake	Cass	MN	A	115 ft	14
8	Long Lake	Clearwater	MN	A	80 ft	15
9	Long Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	87 ft	11
10	Long Lake	Becker	MN	A	61 ft	16
11	Long Lake	Cass	MN	A	37 ft	12
12	Long Lake	Itasca	MN	A	72 ft	10
13	Long Lake	Itasca	MN	A	85 ft	12
14	Dead Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	34 ft	9
15	Otter Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	64 ft	7
16	Ossawinnamakee Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	63 ft	18
17	Clear Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	63 ft	15
18	Clear Lake	Aitkin	MN	A	24 ft	14
19	Clear Lake	Itasca	MN	A	30 ft	9
20	Eagle Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	46 ft	10
21	West Fox Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	55 ft	15
22	Spearhead Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	81 ft	17
23	Ida Lake	Douglas	MN	A	106 ft	19
24	Star Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	83 ft	12
25	Star Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	94 ft	17
26	Upper Maple Lake	Wright	MN	A	76 ft	15
27	Fish Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	69 ft	17
28	Birch Lake	Unknown	MN	A	34 ft	10
29	Girl Lake	Cass	MN	A	81 ft	18
30	Little Toad Lake	Becker	MN	A	65 ft	15
31	Charlotte Lake	Wright	MN	A	46 ft	10
32	Bass Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	47 ft	14
33	Bass Lake	Itasca	MN	A	65 ft	7
34	Bass Lake	Cass	MN	A	55 ft	12
35	Crooked Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	54 ft	16
36	Cedar Lake	Morrison	MN	A	88 ft	14
37	Pelican Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	55 ft	20
38	Square Lake	Washington	MN	A	68 ft	9
39	Lower Bottle Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	110 ft	13
40	Big Pine Lake	Aitkin	MN	A	78 ft	15
41	Strawberry Lake	Becker	MN	A	40 ft	16
42	Alexander Lake	Morrison	MN	A	64 ft	19
43	Mcavity Lake	Itasca	MN	A	29 ft	9
44	Gull Lake	Cass	MN	A	80 ft	22
45	Little Wabana Lake	Itasca	MN	A	57 ft	6
46	Lower Hay Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	100 ft	21
47	Latoka Lake	Douglas	MN	A	108 ft	16
48	Pike Lake	Cook	MN	A	45 ft	7
49	Pike Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	60 ft	9
50	Unnamed Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	95 ft	17

Showing top 50 of 1,768 lakes with yellow perch.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many lakes have yellow perch?

Yellow Perch are found in 113 graded lakes: 113 in North Dakota. The average water quality grade of lakes with yellow perch is C (Fair).

What are the best lakes for yellow perch?

The best yellow perch lakes by water quality are East Fox Lake, North Long Lake, Bad Medicine Lake, Big Sugar Bush Lake, Round Lake. These lakes have the highest water quality grades among all lakes where yellow perch have been documented by state DNR surveys.

What other fish are found with yellow perch?

Yellow Perch are most commonly found alongside yellow perch, northern pike, bluegill, black crappie, largemouth bass. These species share similar habitat preferences in the region's lakes.

Other Fish Species in Yellow Perch Lakes

Northern pike Lakes

Found together in 1,388 lakes · 99 total

Bluegill Lakes

Found together in 1,320 lakes · 240 total

Black Crappie Lakes

Found together in 1,285 lakes · 41 total

Largemouth bass Lakes

Found together in 1,219 lakes · 172 total

Walleye Lakes

Found together in 1,201 lakes · 840 total

Pumpkinseed Lakes

Found together in 1,158 lakes · 145 total

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.