Best Lakes for Fishing Near Mankato
Minnesota
30 fishing lakes within driving distance of Mankato, 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 Mankato 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 C.
Filtered for fishing, the nearby-lake list narrows further. fishing-specific signals — fish species, public access, depth profile, motor-boat congestion — interact with the LakeGrade rubric in different ways depending on the use case.
| # | Lake | County | Grade | Distance | Clarity | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fish Lake | Le Sueur | A | 17.1 mi | 11.8 ft | 55 ft |
| 2 | Piersons Lake | Carver | A | 48.7 mi | 9.9 ft | 40 ft |
| 3 | Roemhildts Lake | Le Sueur | B | 15.2 mi | 10.2 ft | 60 ft |
| 4 | Fireman'S Lake | Carver | B | 47.5 mi | 10.7 ft | 23 ft |
| 5 | Lower Prior Lake | Scott | B | 48.7 mi | 10 ft | 60 ft |
| 6 | Marion Lake | Dakota | B | 49.5 mi | 7 ft | 21 ft |
| 7 | Unnamed Lake | Nicollet | B | 12.2 mi | 5.6 ft | 35 ft |
| 8 | Beaver Lake | Steele | B | 37.4 mi | 9.5 ft | 27 ft |
| 9 | O'Dowd Lake | Scott | C | 46.7 mi | 5.5 ft | 22 ft |
| 10 | Frances Lake | Le Sueur | C | 15.3 mi | 6 ft | 60 ft |
| 11 | Waconia Lake | Carver | C | 50 mi | 7.3 ft | 37 ft |
| 12 | Volney Lake | Le Sueur | C | 22.7 mi | 5.5 ft | 67 ft |
| 13 | Upper Prior Lake | Scott | C | 46.7 mi | 5 ft | 50 ft |
| 14 | Burandt Lake | Carver | C | 48.3 mi | 3.9 ft | 24 ft |
| 15 | Bavaria Lake | Carver | C | 49.9 mi | 5.1 ft | 66 ft |
| 16 | Madison Lake | Blue Earth | D | 9.5 mi | 4 ft | 59 ft |
| 17 | Lake Jefferson | Le Sueur | D | 14.2 mi | 4 ft | 37 ft |
| 18 | German Lake | Le Sueur | D | 15.5 mi | 3.5 ft | 51 ft |
| 19 | Rays Lake | Le Sueur | D | 16.5 mi | 3.5 ft | 32 ft |
| 20 | Reeds Lake | Waseca | D | 19.2 mi | 6 ft | 58 ft |
| 21 | St. Olaf Lake | Waseca | D | 34.2 mi | 5 ft | 33 ft |
| 22 | St. James Lake | Watonwan | D | 34.4 mi | 3 ft | 15.4 ft |
| 23 | Long Lake | Watonwan | D | 37.3 mi | 2.5 ft | 13 ft |
| 24 | Sleepy Eye Lake | Brown | D | 37.5 mi | 3.3 ft | 21 ft |
| 25 | Mill Pond | Scott | D | 39.1 mi | 4.5 ft | 18 ft |
| 26 | Fish Lake | Scott | D | 43 mi | 3.9 ft | 28 ft |
| 27 | Spring Lake | Scott | D | 45.4 mi | 6.2 ft | 37 ft |
| 28 | Marion Lake | McLeod | D | 47 mi | - | 15.2 ft |
| 29 | Reitz Lake | Carver | D | 48.3 mi | 3 ft | 36 ft |
| 30 | Ballantyne Lake | Blue Earth | D | 8.8 mi | 2.5 ft | 58 ft |
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.