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FishGrade

Best Brown Trout Lakes in Minnesota

Ranked by Minnesota DNR survey data · 46 lakes scored

The top 12 brown trout lakes

46 Minnesota lakes have enough DNR survey data to earn a FishGrade score for brown trout; 12 of them are at least 100 acres. The top 12 are ranked below by FishGrade's 0–100 score: abundance against the DNR normal range for similar lakes, plus size structure. Square leads at 80. Across all 12 qualifying lakes the median score is 26.

See all 46 brown trout lakes on the map
  1. 1. Square

    Washington County · 203 acres

    Excellent · 80

    1.5 per gill net · surveyed 1979

  2. 2. East Battle

    Otter Tail County · 1,978 acres

    Good · 61

    0.88 per gill net · surveyed 1976

  3. 3. Huntington Mine

    Crow Wing County · 106 acres

    Good · 55

    0.75 per gill net · surveyed 1992

  4. 4. Mayhew

    Cook County · 221 acres

    Good · 50

    0.25 per gill net · 100% keeper-size · surveyed 2009

  5. 5. Big Watab

    Stearns County · 246 acres

    Average · 41

    0.5 per gill net · surveyed 2023

  6. 6. Upper Gull

    Cass County · 422 acres

    Average · 30

    0.33 per gill net · surveyed 2025

  7. 7. Lower Twin

    Wadena County · 252 acres

    Poor · 21

    0.22 per gill net · surveyed 1998

  8. 8. Elmo

    Washington County · 257 acres

    Poor · 17

    0.17 per gill net · surveyed 2006

  9. 9. Larson

    Itasca County · 208 acres

    Poor · 17

    0.17 per gill net · surveyed 2014

  10. 10. Fifth Crow Wing

    Hubbard County · 400 acres

    Poor · 11

    0.11 per gill net · surveyed 1955

  11. 11. Carlos

    Douglas County · 2,605 acres

    Poor · 7

    0.07 per gill net · surveyed 2004

  12. 12. Grindstone

    Pine County · 533 acres

    Poor · 7

    0.07 per gill net · surveyed 2025

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best brown trout lake in Minnesota?

Square in Washington County is the top-rated brown trout lake in Minnesota on FishGrade, scoring 80 out of 100 based on Minnesota DNR survey data. The latest DNR survey measured 1.5 brown trout per gill net.

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 brown trout, and size, the share of sampled fish reaching keeper size. To keep the list meaningful, it only includes named lakes of at least 100 acres with a current score.

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 1955 to 2025, and 3 of 12 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.