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FishGrade

Best Northern Pike Lakes in Minnesota

Ranked by Minnesota DNR survey data · 3,091 lakes scored

Top northern pike lakes

3,091 Minnesota lakes have enough DNR survey data to earn a FishGrade score for northern pike; 286 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. Forest leads at 93. Across all 286 qualifying lakes the median score is 69.

See all 3,091 northern pike lakes on the map
  1. 1. Forest

    Washington County · 2,271 acres

    Excellent · 93

    11.8 per gill net · 64% keeper-size · surveyed 2025

  2. 2. Melissa

    Becker County · 1,850 acres

    Excellent · 93

    22.7 per gill net · 53% keeper-size · surveyed 2024

  3. 3. Lura

    Blue Earth County · 1,359 acres

    Excellent · 92

    14.3 per gill net · 78% keeper-size · surveyed 2023

  4. 4. Ocheda

    Nobles County · 1,691 acres

    Excellent · 90

    14.0 per gill net · 52% keeper-size · surveyed 2009

  5. 5. Rice

    Stearns County · 1,513 acres

    Excellent · 90

    11.3 per gill net · 59% keeper-size · surveyed 2024

  6. 6. Saganaga

    Cook County · 18,767 acres

    Excellent · 89

    1.4 per gill net · 54% keeper-size · surveyed 1985

  7. 7. Crooked

    Lake County · 10,360 acres

    Excellent · 89

    4.9 per gill net · 39% keeper-size · surveyed 2007

  8. 8. Sand Point

    St. Louis County · 8,527 acres

    Excellent · 89

    3.9 per gill net · 47% keeper-size · surveyed 2025

  9. 9. Knife

    Lake County · 4,919 acres

    Excellent · 89

    3.0 per gill net · 54% keeper-size · surveyed 1983

  10. 10. Natures

    Itasca County · 2,249 acres

    Excellent · 89

    16.5 per gill net · surveyed 1990

  11. 11. Andrusia

    Beltrami County · 1,596 acres

    Excellent · 89

    9.3 per gill net · 75% keeper-size · surveyed 2019

  12. 12. Monongalia Lake

    Kandiyohi County · 2,290 acres

    Excellent · 88

    10.7 per gill net · 50% keeper-size · surveyed 2018

  13. 13. East Rush

    Chisago County · 1,494 acres

    Excellent · 88

    6.5 per gill net · 81% keeper-size · surveyed 2023

  14. 14. Johanna

    Pope County · 1,399 acres

    Excellent · 88

    8.3 per gill net · 66% keeper-size · surveyed 2022

  15. 15. Tetonka

    Le Sueur County · 1,358 acres

    Excellent · 88

    6.6 per gill net · 82% keeper-size · surveyed 2023

Underrated northern pike lakes under 1,000 acres

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

  1. 1. Knight

    Cass County · 131 acres

    Excellent · 99

    37.0 per gill net · surveyed 1989

  2. 2. Silver

    St. Louis County · 129 acres

    Excellent · 98

    20.3 per gill net · 77% keeper-size · surveyed 2023

  3. 3. Adams

    Lake County · 475 acres

    Excellent · 96

    4.7 per gill net · 80% keeper-size · surveyed 1982

  4. 4. Quadga

    Lake County · 251 acres

    Excellent · 96

    13.3 per gill net · 64% keeper-size · surveyed 2014

  5. 5. Gilbert Pit

    St. Louis County · 243 acres

    Excellent · 96

    1.7 per gill net · 90% keeper-size · surveyed 2023

  6. 6. Buffalo

    Murray County · 127 acres

    Excellent · 96

    15.5 per gill net · 88% keeper-size · surveyed 2021

  7. 7. Elm Island

    Aitkin County · 520 acres

    Excellent · 95

    12.6 per gill net · 100% keeper-size · surveyed 2023

  8. 8. Eagle

    Hennepin County · 296 acres

    Excellent · 94

    15.7 per gill net · 60% keeper-size · surveyed 2025

  9. 9. Staring

    Hennepin County · 167 acres

    Excellent · 94

    13.8 per gill net · 78% keeper-size · surveyed 2021

  10. 10. Sand

    St. Louis County · 779 acres

    Excellent · 93

    19.3 per gill net · 49% keeper-size · surveyed 2023

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best northern pike lake in Minnesota?

Forest in Washington County is the top-rated northern pike lake in Minnesota on FishGrade, scoring 93 out of 100 based on Minnesota DNR survey data. The latest DNR survey measured 11.8 northern pike per gill net, with 64% of catchable fish at keeper size. Among smaller waters, Knight in Cass County (131 acres) tops the under-1,000-acre list with a score of 99.

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 northern pike, 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 1983 to 2025, and 9 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.