Best Fishing Lakes in Minnesota & Wisconsin
Top 50 lakes ranked by a composite of fish species diversity and water quality grade. Lakes with more documented species and higher water quality grades rank higher.
| Rank | Lake | County | State | Grade | Depth | Species | Fish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lake St. Croix | Washington | MN | B | 78 ft | 36 | bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill... |
| 2 | Whitefish Lake | Crow Wing | MN | A | 138 ft | 23 | black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish)... |
| 3 | Bertha Lake | Crow Wing | MN | A | 64 ft | 22 | black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish)... |
| 4 | St. Croix Lake | Washington | MN | C | 78 ft | 36 | bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill... |
| 5 | St. Croix 1.5 Mi. Upstream of Point Douglas Dr Lake | Washington | MN | C | 78 ft | 36 | bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill... |
| 6 | Lower Hay Lake | Crow Wing | MN | A | 100 ft | 21 | black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish)... |
| 7 | Andrusia Lake | Beltrami | MN | A | 60 ft | 21 | black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish)... |
| 8 | Lizzie Lake | Otter Tail | MN | A | 66 ft | 21 | black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish)... |
| 9 | Rush Lake | Crow Wing | MN | A | 105 ft | 21 | black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish)... |
| 10 | Carlos Lake | Douglas | MN | A | 163 ft | 21 | black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish)... |
| 11 | Lower Hay Lake | Crow Wing | MN | A | 100 ft | 21 | black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish)... |
| 12 | Hen Lake | Crow Wing | MN | A | 105 ft | 21 | black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish)... |
| 13 | Pelican Lake | Otter Tail | MN | A | 55 ft | 20 | bigmouth buffalo, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish)... |
| 14 | Big Trout Lake | Crow Wing | MN | A | 128 ft | 20 | black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead... |
| 15 | Pig Lake | Crow Wing | MN | A | 56 ft | 20 | black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish)... |
| 16 | Green Lake | Kandiyohi | MN | A | 110 ft | 22 | bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill... |
| 17 | Cedar Lake | Aitkin | MN | A | 105 ft | 22 | bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill... |
| 18 | Gull Lake | Cass | MN | A | 80 ft | 22 | black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish)... |
| 19 | Broadwater Bay Lake | Cass | MN | A | 54 ft | 22 | black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish)... |
| 20 | Ml-Thains Lake | Mille Lacs | MN | A | 42 ft | 21 | black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish)... |
| 21 | Ml-Seventeen Lake | Aitkin | MN | A | 42 ft | 21 | black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish)... |
| 22 | Ml Lake | Mille Lacs | MN | A | 42 ft | 21 | black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish)... |
| 23 | Ml Lake | Mille Lacs | MN | A | 42 ft | 21 | black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish)... |
| 24 | Ml-Vineland Lake | Mille Lacs | MN | A | 42 ft | 21 | black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish)... |
| 25 | Ml-Peterson Lake | Mille Lacs | MN | A | 42 ft | 21 | black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish)... |
| 26 | Ml-Malone Lake | Mille Lacs | MN | A | 42 ft | 21 | black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish)... |
| 27 | Chippewa Lake | Douglas | MN | A | 95 ft | 19 | bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill... |
| 28 | Cowdry Lake | Douglas | MN | A | 52 ft | 19 | black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish)... |
| 29 | Ida Lake | Douglas | MN | A | 106 ft | 19 | black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish)... |
| 30 | Island Lake | Crow Wing | MN | A | 76 ft | 19 | black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish)... |
| 31 | Pokegama Lake | Itasca | MN | A | 112 ft | 19 | black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead... |
| 32 | Alexander Lake | Morrison | MN | A | 64 ft | 19 | black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish)... |
| 33 | Miltona Lake | Douglas | MN | A | 105 ft | 19 | black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish)... |
| 34 | Pokegama Lake | Itasca | MN | A | 112 ft | 19 | black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish), brown bullhead... |
| 35 | Washburn Lake | Cass | MN | A | 111 ft | 21 | black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish)... |
| 36 | Ml-Nw Lake | Aitkin | MN | B | 42 ft | 21 | black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish)... |
| 37 | Ml-Ce Lake | Aitkin | MN | B | 42 ft | 21 | black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish)... |
| 38 | Ml-Se Lake | Mille Lacs | MN | B | 42 ft | 21 | black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish)... |
| 39 | Ml-Nshore Lake | Aitkin | MN | B | 42 ft | 21 | black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish)... |
| 40 | Ml-Ne Lake | Aitkin | MN | B | 42 ft | 21 | black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish)... |
| 41 | Pool of Lake St. Croix | Washington | MN | C | 78 ft | 36 | bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill... |
| 42 | Pool on Lake St. Croix Downstream of I94 Bridge | Washington | MN | C | 78 ft | 36 | bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill... |
| 43 | Pool on Lake St. Croix | Washington | MN | C | 78 ft | 36 | bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill... |
| 44 | St. Croix 3.5 Mi. Downstream of E Chestnut St Lake | Washington | MN | C | 78 ft | 36 | bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill... |
| 45 | St. Croix 0.3 Mi. Downstream of I Lake | Washington | MN | C | 78 ft | 36 | bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill... |
| 46 | Little Birch Lake | Todd | MN | A | 89 ft | 20 | bigmouth buffalo, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish)... |
| 47 | Round Lake | Crow Wing | MN | A | 51 ft | 20 | black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish)... |
| 48 | Upper Gull Lake | Cass | MN | A | 54 ft | 20 | black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish)... |
| 49 | Inguadona Lake | Cass | MN | A | 79 ft | 20 | black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish)... |
| 50 | Movil Lake | Beltrami | MN | A | 50 ft | 20 | black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin (dogfish)... |