What is the best fishing lake near St. Paul?

Rogers Lake in Dakota County is the top-ranked fishing lake near St. Paul on measured water quality (6.2 miles away).

How many lakes are near St. Paul for fishing?

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

Best Lakes for Fishing Near St. Paul, MN

30 fishing lakes within driving distance of St. Paul, 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 St. Paul 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 letter grade 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	Distance	Clarity	Depth
1	Rogers Lake	Dakota	6.2 mi	6.6 ft	8 ft
2	Snail Lake	Ramsey	8.4 mi	11 ft	30 ft
3	Jane Lake	Washington	9.1 mi	13 ft	39 ft
4	White Bear Lake	Washington	9.9 mi	14.4 ft	83 ft
5	Turtle Lake	Ramsey	10.1 mi	7.5 ft	28 ft
6	Elmo Lake	Washington	10.2 mi	11.1 ft	140 ft
7	Otter Lake	Ramsey	12 mi	11.5 ft	21 ft
8	Lily Lake	Washington	14.6 mi	10.5 ft	51 ft
9	Bush Lake	Hennepin	16.4 mi	13 ft	28 ft
10	Lac Lavon Lake	Dakota	17.8 mi	12.1 ft	32 ft
11	Big Carnelian Lake	Washington	18.4 mi	14.5 ft	66 ft
12	Square Lake	Washington	19.7 mi	17 ft	68 ft
13	Howard Lake	Anoka	21.4 mi	3.3 ft	-
14	Marion Lake	Dakota	22.3 mi	7 ft	21 ft
15	Halfbreed Lake	Washington	22.5 mi	5.2 ft	34 ft
16	Riley Lake	Hennepin	22.5 mi	11.5 ft	49 ft
17	Minnewashta Lake	Carver	25.7 mi	11.5 ft	70 ft
18	St Joe Lake	Carver	26.6 mi	8.4 ft	52 ft
19	Fireman'S Lake	Carver	27.6 mi	10.7 ft	23 ft
20	Spider Lake	Chisago	28.5 mi	6.5 ft	9 ft
21	Kroon Lake	Chisago	30.3 mi	5.9 ft	30 ft
22	Piersons Lake	Carver	31 mi	9.9 ft	40 ft
23	South Lindstrom Lake	Chisago	32.2 mi	5.6 ft	34 ft
24	East Twin Lake	Anoka	33.1 mi	10.7 ft	68 ft
25	Charlotte Lake	Wright	34.8 mi	17.1 ft	46 ft
26	Big Lake	Sherburne	42 mi	13.6 ft	48 ft
27	Sandy Lake	Sherburne	42.4 mi	14 ft	41 ft
28	Fish Lake	Chisago	43.4 mi	9.4 ft	57 ft
29	Ann Lake	Sherburne	43.8 mi	11.5 ft	26 ft
30	Birch Lake	Wright	45.2 mi	15 ft	52 ft

Other activities near St. Paul

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Where to stay near St. Paul

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

Top-rated places to stay near St. Paul

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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.