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FishGrade

Best Rainbow Trout Lakes in Minnesota

Ranked by Minnesota DNR survey data · 130 lakes scored

The top 25 rainbow trout lakes

130 Minnesota lakes have enough DNR survey data to earn a FishGrade score for rainbow trout; 28 of them are at least 100 acres. The top 25 are ranked below by FishGrade's 0–100 score: abundance against the DNR normal range for similar lakes, plus size structure. Trout leads at 100. Across all 28 qualifying lakes the median score is 50.

See all 130 rainbow trout lakes on the map
  1. 1. Trout

    Cook County · 259 acres

    Excellent · 100

    6.5 per gill net · surveyed 1990

  2. 2. Half Moon

    St. Louis County · 162 acres

    Excellent · 99

    9.0 per gill net · surveyed 1975

  3. 3. Miner's Pit

    St. Louis County · 141 acres

    Excellent · 97

    6.5 per gill net · surveyed 1990

  4. 4. Christmas

    Hennepin County · 267 acres

    Excellent · 87

    3.0 per gill net · 90% keeper-size · surveyed 2007

  5. 5. Tofte

    Lake County · 134 acres

    Excellent · 80

    28.0 per gill net · 15% keeper-size · surveyed 1993

  6. 6. Huntington Mine

    Crow Wing County · 106 acres

    Excellent · 80

    3.0 per gill net · surveyed 2012

  7. 7. Leo

    Cook County · 102 acres

    Excellent · 77

    12.0 per gill net · 7% keeper-size · surveyed 2025

  8. 8. Elmo

    Washington County · 257 acres

    Good · 73

    1.5 per gill net · 100% keeper-size · surveyed 2001

  9. 9. Dumbbell

    Lake County · 406 acres

    Good · 58

    1.6 per gill net · surveyed 1950

  10. 10. St James Pit

    St. Louis County · 124 acres

    Good · 57

    2.2 per gill net · 11% keeper-size · surveyed 2024

  11. 11. Bad Medicine

    Becker County · 803 acres

    Good · 56

    3.4 per gill net · 0% keeper-size · surveyed 2022

  12. 12. Long

    Clearwater County · 159 acres

    Good · 56

    3.3 per gill net · 0% keeper-size · surveyed 2022

  13. 13. Mahnomen, Alstead & Arco Mine

    Crow Wing County · 272 acres

    Good · 55

    4.6 per gill net · 0% keeper-size · surveyed 2022

  14. 14. Sabin

    St. Louis County · 156 acres

    Good · 51

    3.5 per gill net · 0% keeper-size · surveyed 1990

  15. 15. Gilbert Pit

    St. Louis County · 243 acres

    Average · 49

    1.3 per gill net · surveyed 1990

  16. 16. Square

    Washington County · 203 acres

    Average · 46

    1.2 per gill net · surveyed 2008

  17. 17. Sagamore Mine

    Crow Wing County · 119 acres

    Average · 46

    1.3 per gill net · 11% keeper-size · surveyed 2023

  18. 18. Birch

    Cook County · 236 acres

    Average · 45

    5.7 per gill net · 13% keeper-size · surveyed 2023

  19. 19. Pine Mountain

    Cook County · 106 acres

    Average · 41

    1.0 per gill net · surveyed 1983

  20. 20. Big Watab

    Stearns County · 246 acres

    Average · 30

    1.3 per gill net · 0% keeper-size · surveyed 2023

  21. 21. East Battle

    Otter Tail County · 1,978 acres

    Poor · 23

    0.5 per gill net · surveyed 1976

  22. 22. Blue

    Hubbard County · 336 acres

    Poor · 21

    0.44 per gill net · surveyed 2019

  23. 23. Portsmouth Mine

    Crow Wing County · 149 acres

    Poor · 21

    0.83 per gill net · 0% keeper-size · surveyed 2022

  24. 24. Larson

    Itasca County · 208 acres

    Poor · 20

    0.43 per gill net · surveyed 1992

  25. 25. High

    St. Louis County · 274 acres

    Poor · 16

    0.33 per gill net · surveyed 2024

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best rainbow trout lake in Minnesota?

Trout in Cook County is the top-rated rainbow trout lake in Minnesota on FishGrade, scoring 100 out of 100 based on Minnesota DNR survey data. The latest DNR survey measured 6.5 rainbow 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 rainbow 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 1950 to 2025, and 11 of 25 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 rainbow trout fishing?

St. Louis County, Cook County, and Crow Wing County lead this list, holding 14 of the top 25 rainbow trout lakes in Minnesota between them.