What is the best fishing lake near Duluth?

Big Lake in Carlton County is the top-ranked fishing lake near Duluth on measured water quality (25.7 miles away).

How many lakes are near Duluth for fishing?

30 lakes within driving distance of Duluth match the fishing filters used on this page.

Best Lakes for Fishing Near Duluth, MN

30 fishing lakes within driving distance of Duluth, Minnesota, ranked by water quality and fishing-specific filters. Filtered for documented fish species (3+) and public access. Ranked by water quality and species diversity.

Within reasonable driving distance of Duluth sit 30 measured lakes, a lake-dense area that gives residents real choice on any given weekend.

The fishing-specific ranking layered on top of the readings is what produces the list below: a lake with clean readings that does not also support the fishing use case is less useful than a decent one that does.

#	Lake	County	Distance	Clarity	Depth
1	Big Lake	Carlton	25.7 mi	10 ft	25 ft
2	Park Lake	Carlton	28.5 mi	7 ft	16 ft
3	Nichols Lake	St. Louis	29.7 mi	5.1 ft	31 ft
4	Stewart Lake	Lake	32.2 mi	10 ft	20 ft
5	Murphy Lake	St. Louis	40 mi	6.4 ft	24 ft
6	Cadotte Lake	St. Louis	41.9 mi	10.2 ft	18 ft
7	Pleasant Lake	St. Louis	45.7 mi	10 ft	33 ft
8	Pine Lake	St. Louis	48.7 mi	7.5 ft	14 ft
9	Ely Lake	St. Louis	49.2 mi	17.1 ft	70 ft
10	Amnicon Lake	Douglas	21.2 mi	5 ft	31 ft
11	West Twin Lake	St. Louis	23.2 mi	6.2 ft	18 ft
12	Lake Nebagamon	Douglas	27 mi	7 ft	56 ft
13	Lake Minnesuing	Douglas	27.5 mi	6.2 ft	43 ft
14	Half Moon Lake	Bayfield	36.9 mi	8 ft	10 ft
15	Long Lake	Bayfield	38.5 mi	16.2 ft	28 ft
16	Elliot Lake	St. Louis	39.7 mi	6.2 ft	13 ft
17	Sand Bar Lake	Bayfield	39.7 mi	19 ft	49 ft
18	Tomahawk Lake	Bayfield	40.1 mi	14 ft	42 ft
19	Eagle Lake	Carlton	40.3 mi	7 ft	35 ft
20	Eagle Lake	Bayfield	40.4 mi	17 ft	52 ft
21	Whitefish Lake	Douglas	41.1 mi	25 ft	102 ft
22	Leader Lake	Douglas	42.6 mi	15.3 ft	56 ft
23	Robinson Lake	Bayfield	42.9 mi	13.5 ft	36 ft
24	Middle Eau Claire Lake	Bayfield	43.5 mi	18.2 ft	66 ft
25	Lower Eau Claire Lake	Bayfield	43.7 mi	14.1 ft	41 ft
26	Upper Eau Claire Lake	Bayfield	44.4 mi	18.7 ft	92 ft
27	Cranberry Lake	Bayfield	44.7 mi	9 ft	12 ft
28	Red Lake	Douglas	45 mi	12 ft	37 ft
29	Upper Kimball Lake	Washburn	45.4 mi	10 ft	11 ft
30	Middle Kimball Lake	Washburn	46 mi	16 ft	77 ft

Other activities near Duluth

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Where to stay near Duluth

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Duluth — book a place close to the best-rated lakes in the area.

Top-rated places to stay near Duluth

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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.