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FishGrade

Best Lake Trout Lakes in Minnesota

Ranked by Minnesota DNR survey data · 120 lakes scored

Top lake trout lakes

120 Minnesota lakes have enough DNR survey data to earn a FishGrade score for lake trout; 27 of them are at least 1,000 acres. The top 15 are ranked below by FishGrade's 0–100 score: abundance against the DNR normal range for similar lakes, plus size structure. Gunflint leads at 68. Across all 27 qualifying lakes the median score is 55.

See all 120 lake trout lakes on the map
  1. 1. Gunflint

    Cook County · 4,009 acres

    Good · 68

    1.9 per gill net · 64% keeper-size · surveyed 1991

  2. 2. North

    Cook County · 2,349 acres

    Good · 67

    2.0 per gill net · 47% keeper-size · surveyed 1983

  3. 3. South

    Cook County · 1,145 acres

    Good · 67

    3.5 per gill net · 24% keeper-size · surveyed 1978

  4. 4. Lac la Croix

    St. Louis County · 29,597 acres

    Good · 66

    2.0 per gill net · 44% keeper-size · surveyed 1984

  5. 5. Moose

    Cook County · 1,026 acres

    Good · 66

    1.0 per gill net · 67% keeper-size · surveyed 1987

  6. 6. Mountain

    Cook County · 1,993 acres

    Good · 63

    22.3 per gill net · 2% keeper-size · surveyed 1992

  7. 7. Loon

    Cook County · 1,095 acres

    Good · 62

    2.1 per gill net · 31% keeper-size · surveyed 1990

  8. 8. Knife

    Lake County · 4,919 acres

    Good · 61

    0.1 per gill net · 56% keeper-size · surveyed 1983

  9. 9. Greenwood

    Cook County · 2,043 acres

    Good · 60

    3.1 per gill net · 18% keeper-size · surveyed 1990

  10. 10. Thomas

    Lake County · 1,465 acres

    Good · 60

    1.3 per gill net · 36% keeper-size · surveyed 1976

  11. 11. Johnson

    St. Louis County · 1,736 acres

    Good · 59

    0.25 per gill net · surveyed 2011

  12. 12. Sea Gull

    Cook County · 3,958 acres

    Good · 57

    1.8 per gill net · 25% keeper-size · surveyed 1991

  13. 13. Loon

    St. Louis County · 2,498 acres

    Good · 57

    0.07 per gill net · surveyed 2008

  14. 14. Kekekabic

    Lake County · 1,689 acres

    Good · 55

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

  15. 15. Clearwater

    Cook County · 1,344 acres

    Good · 54

    2.3 per gill net · 17% keeper-size · surveyed 1991

Underrated lake trout lakes under 1,000 acres

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

  1. 1. Elmo

    Washington County · 257 acres

    Excellent · 91

    2.5 per gill net · 93% keeper-size · surveyed 2006

  2. 2. Mesaba

    Cook County · 213 acres

    Excellent · 91

    8.0 per gill net · 45% keeper-size · surveyed 2022

  3. 3. Ester

    Lake County · 374 acres

    Excellent · 87

    4.3 per gill net · 93% keeper-size · surveyed 1980

  4. 4. West Pike

    Cook County · 788 acres

    Excellent · 86

    4.6 per gill net · 92% keeper-size · surveyed 1989

  5. 5. Bearskin

    Cook County · 509 acres

    Excellent · 86

    4.7 per gill net · 91% keeper-size · surveyed 1982

  6. 6. Crystal

    Cook County · 206 acres

    Excellent · 85

    5.2 per gill net · 43% keeper-size · surveyed 2016

  7. 7. Rabbit

    Lake County · 117 acres

    Excellent · 84

    5.3 per gill net · surveyed 1980

  8. 8. Oyster

    St. Louis County · 763 acres

    Excellent · 82

    1.8 per gill net · 29% keeper-size · surveyed 1988

  9. 9. Caribou

    Itasca County · 247 acres

    Excellent · 82

    1.7 per gill net · 63% keeper-size · surveyed 2022

  10. 10. Topaz

    Lake County · 150 acres

    Excellent · 75

    1.7 per gill net · surveyed 1973

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best lake trout lake in Minnesota?

Gunflint in Cook County is the top-rated lake trout lake in Minnesota on FishGrade, scoring 68 out of 100 based on Minnesota DNR survey data. The latest DNR survey measured 1.9 lake trout per gill net, with 64% of catchable fish at keeper size. Among smaller waters, Elmo in Washington County (257 acres) tops the under-1,000-acre list with a score of 91.

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 lake 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 1976 to 2011, and 0 of 15 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 lake trout fishing?

Cook County, Lake County, and St. Louis County lead this list, holding 15 of the top 15 lake trout lakes in Minnesota between them.