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FishGrade

Best Brook Trout Lakes in Minnesota

Ranked by Minnesota DNR survey data · 163 lakes scored

Top brook trout lakes

163 Minnesota lakes have enough DNR survey data to earn a FishGrade score for brook trout; 5 of them are at least 1,000 acres. The top 5 are ranked below by FishGrade's 0–100 score: abundance against the DNR normal range for similar lakes, plus size structure. Moose leads at 8. Across all 5 qualifying lakes the median score is 2.

See all 163 brook trout lakes on the map
  1. 1. Moose

    Cook County · 1,026 acres

    Poor · 8

    0.33 per gill net · surveyed 1978

  2. 2. Kabekona

    Hubbard County · 2,433 acres

    Poor · 2

    0.08 per gill net · surveyed 2023

  3. 3. Greenwood

    Cook County · 2,043 acres

    Poor · 2

    0.08 per gill net · surveyed 1990

  4. 4. St. Louis River Estuary

    St. Louis County · 10,255 acres

    Poor · 1

    0.05 per gill net · surveyed 2015

  5. 5. Island Lake Reservoir

    St. Louis County · 8,001 acres

    Poor · 1

    0.03 per gill net · surveyed 1989

Underrated brook trout lakes under 1,000 acres

Smaller waters (100–999 acres) with standout survey numbers and lighter fishing pressure.

  1. 1. Huntington Mine

    Crow Wing County · 106 acres

    Excellent · 100

    31.0 per gill net · surveyed 1992

  2. 2. Balsam

    Lake County · 221 acres

    Excellent · 92

    7.7 per gill net · 96% keeper-size · surveyed 2015

  3. 3. Pine Mountain

    Cook County · 106 acres

    Excellent · 87

    6.0 per gill net · 85% keeper-size · surveyed 2002

  4. 4. Larson

    Itasca County · 208 acres

    Excellent · 77

    5.5 per gill net · surveyed 1972

  5. 5. High

    St. Louis County · 274 acres

    Good · 73

    3.0 per gill net · 100% keeper-size · surveyed 2024

  6. 6. Sabin

    St. Louis County · 156 acres

    Good · 67

    4.2 per gill net · surveyed 1995

  7. 7. Sagamore Mine

    Crow Wing County · 119 acres

    Good · 62

    1.9 per gill net · 81% keeper-size · surveyed 2002

  8. 8. Trout

    Cook County · 259 acres

    Good · 50

    0.1 per trap net · 33% keeper-size · surveyed 2025

  9. 9. Birch

    Cook County · 236 acres

    Good · 50

    0.08 per trap net · 33% keeper-size · surveyed 2015

  10. 10. Miner's Pit

    St. Louis County · 141 acres

    Average · 33

    3.0 per gill net · 0% keeper-size · surveyed 1988

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best brook trout lake in Minnesota?

Moose in Cook County is the top-rated brook trout lake in Minnesota on FishGrade, scoring 8 out of 100 based on Minnesota DNR survey data. The latest DNR survey measured 0.33 brook trout per gill net. Among smaller waters, Huntington Mine in Crow Wing County (106 acres) tops the under-1,000-acre list with a score of 100.

How are these rankings calculated?

Each lake's 0-100 FishGrade score blends two signals from Minnesota DNR surveys: abundance, which compares the lake's catch rate to the DNR normal range for similar lakes using the survey gear that best samples brook trout, and size, the share of sampled fish reaching keeper size. To keep the list meaningful, the main rankings cover named lakes of at least 1,000 acres, and standout smaller lakes of 100+ acres are listed separately.

How current is this data?

Every ranking uses the most recent Minnesota DNR survey for each lake: survey dates for the ranked lakes run from 1978 to 2023, and 1 of 5 were surveyed within the last 7 years. The DNR resurveys most lakes on a 5-to-10-year cycle, and these rankings update as new surveys are published.

Which counties have the best brook trout fishing?

Cook County and St. Louis County lead this list, holding 4 of the top 5 brook trout lakes in Minnesota between them.