yellow perch Lakes in Minnesota & Wisconsin

Other SpeciesFound in 1,370 lakes

Rough fish like yellow perch are often associated with eutrophic, nutrient-loaded waters. Their presence — documented in 1,370 Minnesota and Wisconsin lakes — is often a signal of how the rest of the fishery is functioning. With 1,370 Minnesota lakes and 0 in Wisconsin documenting yellow perch, the species is one of the more accessible targets in the dataset.

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 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.

1,370

Total Lakes

1,370

Minnesota

Wisconsin

Avg. Grade

46 ft

Avg. Depth

Water Quality of yellow perch Lakes

442

32%

317

23%

286

21%

202

15%

123

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	Little Wabana Lake	Itasca	MN	A	57 ft	6
3	Lower Hay Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	100 ft	21
4	Latoka Lake	Douglas	MN	A	108 ft	16
5	Bad Medicine Lake	Becker	MN	A	84 ft	13
6	Big Sugar Bush Lake	Becker	MN	A	42 ft	13
7	Pelican Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	55 ft	20
8	Birch Lake	Unknown	MN	A	34 ft	10
9	Round Lake	Aitkin	MN	A	59 ft	15
10	Round Lake	Cook	MN	A	45 ft	5
11	Pike Lake	Cook	MN	A	45 ft	7
12	Pike Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	60 ft	9
13	Whitefish Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	138 ft	23
14	Horseshoe Lake	Cass	MN	A	51 ft	12
15	Long Lake	Clearwater	MN	A	80 ft	15
16	Long Lake	Cass	MN	A	115 ft	14
17	Long Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	87 ft	11
18	Long Lake	Becker	MN	A	61 ft	16
19	Long Lake	Cass	MN	A	37 ft	12
20	Long Lake	Itasca	MN	A	72 ft	10
21	Long Lake	Itasca	MN	A	85 ft	12
22	Dead Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	34 ft	9
23	Unnamed Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	95 ft	17
24	Maple Lake	Itasca	MN	A	39 ft	13
25	Shallow Lake	Itasca	MN	A	85 ft	12
26	Trout Lake	Itasca	MN	A	135 ft	15
27	Trout Lake	Itasca	MN	A	157 ft	9
28	Trout Lake	Cook	MN	A	77 ft	6
29	Chippewa Lake	Douglas	MN	A	95 ft	19
30	Otter Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	64 ft	7
31	Cowdry Lake	Douglas	MN	A	52 ft	19
32	Ossawinnamakee Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	63 ft	18
33	Clear Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	63 ft	15
34	Clear Lake	Aitkin	MN	A	24 ft	14
35	Clear Lake	Itasca	MN	A	30 ft	9
36	Bear Lake	Lake	MN	A	31 ft	4
37	Blue Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	84 ft	13
38	Eagle Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	46 ft	10
39	West Fox Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	55 ft	15
40	Spearhead Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	81 ft	17
41	Ida Lake	Douglas	MN	A	106 ft	19
42	Star Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	83 ft	12
43	Star Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	94 ft	17
44	Upper Maple Lake	Wright	MN	A	76 ft	15
45	Partridge Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	42 ft	10
46	Fish Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	69 ft	17
47	Sand Lake	Cass	MN	A	54 ft	12
48	Roger Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	64 ft	12
49	Square Lake	Washington	MN	A	68 ft	9
50	Andrusia Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	60 ft	21

Showing top 50 of 1,370 lakes with yellow perch.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many lakes have yellow perch?

yellow perch are found in 1,370 lakes across Minnesota and Wisconsin, 1,370 in Minnesota and 0 in Wisconsin. 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, Little Wabana Lake, Lower Hay Lake, Latoka Lake, Bad Medicine 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 northern pike, bluegill, black crappie, largemouth bass, walleye. These species share similar habitat preferences in the region's lakes.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.