Best Lakes for Fishing Near Duluth
Minnesota
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 graded lakes — a lake-dense area that gives residents real choice on any given weekend. The average grade across the nearby set is A.
The fishing-specific ranking layered on top of the LakeGrade rubric is what produces the list below: a grade-good lake that does not also support the fishing use case is less useful than a grade-decent lake that does.
| # | Lake | County | Grade | Distance | Clarity | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pike Lake | St. Louis | A | 11 mi | 18 ft | 60 ft |
| 2 | Smith Lake | St. Louis | A | 26.8 mi | 15 ft | 51 ft |
| 3 | Long Lake | Bayfield | A | 38.5 mi | 16.2 ft | 28 ft |
| 4 | Island Lake | Bayfield | A | 38.5 mi | 17 ft | 51 ft |
| 5 | Buskey Bay Lake | Bayfield | A | 38.8 mi | 21.9 ft | 51 ft |
| 6 | Hart Lake | Bayfield | A | 39.5 mi | 21.5 ft | 54 ft |
| 7 | Sand Bar Lake | Bayfield | A | 39.7 mi | 19 ft | 49 ft |
| 8 | Twin Bear Lake | Bayfield | A | 39.9 mi | 19.5 ft | 59 ft |
| 9 | Bladder Lake | Bayfield | A | 40 mi | 18 ft | 35 ft |
| 10 | Eagle Lake | Bayfield | A | 40.4 mi | 17 ft | 52 ft |
| 11 | Whitefish Lake | Douglas | A | 40.5 mi | 24.5 ft | 102 ft |
| 12 | Whitefish Lake | Douglas | A | 41.7 mi | 25.3 ft | 102 ft |
| 13 | Sturgeon Lake | Pine | A | 41.8 mi | 17 ft | 40 ft |
| 14 | Bardon Lake | Douglas | A | 41.8 mi | 27 ft | 102 ft |
| 15 | Sturgeon Lake | Pine | A | 42 mi | 16.8 ft | 40 ft |
| 16 | Leader Lake | Douglas | A | 42.6 mi | 15.3 ft | 56 ft |
| 17 | Bond Lake | Douglas | A | 42.9 mi | 18 ft | 67 ft |
| 18 | Bony Lake | Bayfield | A | 43.2 mi | 19.8 ft | 55 ft |
| 19 | Middle Eau Claire Lake | Bayfield | A | 43.5 mi | 18.2 ft | 66 ft |
| 20 | Lower Eau Claire Lake | Bayfield | A | 44.1 mi | 18.5 ft | 41 ft |
| 21 | Upper Eau Claire Lake | Bayfield | A | 44.4 mi | 18.7 ft | 92 ft |
| 22 | Middle Kimball Lake | Washburn | A | 46 mi | 16 ft | 77 ft |
| 23 | Lost Lake | St. Louis | A | 46.5 mi | 23 ft | 44 ft |
| 24 | Ely Lake | St. Louis | A | 49.2 mi | 17.1 ft | 70 ft |
| 25 | Big Bass Lake | Washburn | A | 49.9 mi | 17.9 ft | 27 ft |
| 26 | Big Bass Lake | Washburn | A | 49.9 mi | - | 27 ft |
| 27 | Big Lake | Carlton | A | 25.7 mi | 10 ft | 25 ft |
| 28 | White Lake | St. Louis | A | 31.2 mi | 11.5 ft | 29 ft |
| 29 | Anne Lake | St. Louis | A | 32 mi | 14.4 ft | 27 ft |
| 30 | Stewart Lake | Lake | A | 32.2 mi | 10 ft | 20 ft |
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.