Muskellunge Lakes in Minnesota

125 lakes where Minnesota DNR fisheries surveys have recorded muskellunge.

A species appears here when it turned up in a DNR survey net or electrofishing run, which tells you the fish is present — not how many there are. The counties with the most muskellunge lakes are Cass (16), Hennepin (10), St. Louis (8).

New to the species? Read How to Catch Muskie in Minnesota: Seasons, Tactics & Trophy Waters.

1.St. Louis River Estuary

St. Louis · Duluth10,255 acres

Stocking on record

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2.Lake St. Croix

Washington · Stillwater8,393 acres

Stocking on record

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3.Leech Lake

Cass · Walker103,444 acres

Special regulations

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4.Lake of the Woods

Lake of the Woods · Long Point725,583 acres

Special regulations

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5.Lake Vermilion

St. Louis · Tower39,272 acres

Special regulations

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6.Mille Lacs Lake

Mille Lacs · Garrison128,250 acres

Special regulations

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7.Cross Lake

Pine · Pine City925 acres

Special regulations

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8.Cass Lake

Beltrami · Cass Lake15,958 acres

Special regulations

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9.Lake Winnibigoshish

Cass · Bena56,471 acres

Special regulations

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10.Pike Bay

Cass · Cass Lake4,756 acres

Special regulations

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11.Deer Lake

Itasca · Deer River4,093 acres

Stocking on record

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12.Gull Lake

Cass · Nisswa10,010 acres

Special regulations

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All 125 lakes

Sorted by rank. Tap a lake for access, fish species and directions.

Lake	County	Regs	Acres	Max depth	Score
St. Louis River Estuarynear Duluth	St. Louis	Statewide	10,255	55 ft	82 out of 100 Lake Score
Lake St. Croixnear Stillwater	Washington	Statewide	8,393	78 ft	83 out of 100 Lake Score
Leech Lakenear Walker	Cass	Special	103,444	150 ft	92 out of 100 Lake Score
Lake of the Woodsnear Long Point	Lake of the Woods	Special	725,583	210 ft	84 out of 100 Lake Score
Lake Vermilionnear Tower	St. Louis	Special	39,272	76 ft	80 out of 100 Lake Score
Mille Lacs Lakenear Garrison	Mille Lacs	Special	128,250	42 ft	81 out of 100 Lake Score
Cross Lakenear Pine City	Pine	Special	925	30 ft	54 out of 100 Lake Score
Cass Lakenear Cass Lake	Beltrami	Special	15,958	120 ft	92 out of 100 Lake Score
Lake Winnibigoshishnear Bena	Cass	Special	56,471	70 ft	79 out of 100 Lake Score
Pike Baynear Cass Lake	Cass	Special	4,756	95 ft	78 out of 100 Lake Score
Deer Lakenear Deer River	Itasca	Statewide	4,093	121 ft	72 out of 100 Lake Score
Gull Lakenear Nisswa	Cass	Special	10,010	80 ft	90 out of 100 Lake Score
Green Lakenear Spicer	Kandiyohi	Special	5,569	110 ft	75 out of 100 Lake Score
Woman Lakenear Longville	Cass	Special	5,520	54 ft	72 out of 100 Lake Score
Island Lake Reservoirnear Duluth	St. Louis	Special	8,001	94 ft	58 out of 100 Lake Score
Moose Lakenear Deer River	Itasca	Special	1,273	61 ft	67 out of 100 Lake Score
Lake Minnetonkanear Mound	Hennepin	Statewide	14,206	113 ft	85 out of 100 Lake Score
Detroit Lakenear Detroit Lakes	Becker	Statewide	3,067	89 ft	85 out of 100 Lake Score
Pokegama Lakenear Grand Rapids	Itasca	Special	6,721	112 ft	86 out of 100 Lake Score
Crane Lakenear Crane Lake	St. Louis	Special	2,921	80 ft	68 out of 100 Lake Score
Lake Miltonanear Leaf Valley	Douglas	Statewide	5,731	105 ft	83 out of 100 Lake Score
Lake Bemidjinear Lavinia (Beltrami)	Beltrami	Statewide	6,596	76 ft	82 out of 100 Lake Score
Round Lakenear Nisswa	Crow Wing	Special	1,650	51 ft	74 out of 100 Lake Score
Cedar Lakenear Aitkin	Aitkin	Statewide	1,726	105 ft	67 out of 100 Lake Score
North Lida Lakenear Pelican Rapids	Otter Tail	Special	5,523	58 ft	65 out of 100 Lake Score
Pelican Lakenear Pelican Rapids	Otter Tail	Statewide	3,962	55 ft	72 out of 100 Lake Score
Lake Idanear Leaf Valley	Douglas	Statewide	4,445	106 ft	70 out of 100 Lake Score
Big Lakenear Bemidji	Beltrami	Special	3,598	35 ft	60 out of 100 Lake Score
Cut Foot Sioux Lakenear Squaw Lake	Itasca	Special	2,771	78 ft	72 out of 100 Lake Score
Lake Alexandernear Randall	Morrison	Special	2,709	64 ft	67 out of 100 Lake Score
Boy Lakenear Boy River	Cass	Special	3,308	45 ft	59 out of 100 Lake Score
Lake Plantagenetnear Nary	Hubbard	Statewide	2,531	65 ft	58 out of 100 Lake Score
Lake Lizzie (North Portion)near Pelican Rapids	Otter Tail	Statewide	1,913	66 ft	68 out of 100 Lake Score
Many Point Lakenear Ponsford	Becker	Statewide	1,701	92 ft	81 out of 100 Lake Score
Little Boy Lakenear Longville	Cass	Special	1,452	74 ft	74 out of 100 Lake Score
Roosevelt Lakenear Outing	Cass	Statewide	1,511	129 ft	71 out of 100 Lake Score
Andrusia Lakenear Cass Lake	Beltrami	Special	1,596	60 ft	63 out of 100 Lake Score
Mitchell Lakenear Emily	Crow Wing	Special	429	78 ft	60 out of 100 Lake Score
Spider Lakenear Marcell	Itasca	Special	1,392	36 ft	59 out of 100 Lake Score
Lake Wabedonear Longville	Cass	Special	1,226	95 ft	74 out of 100 Lake Score
Round Lakenear Ponsford	Becker	Statewide	1,094	69 ft	72 out of 100 Lake Score
Inguadona Lakenear Longville	Cass	Special	1,133	79 ft	64 out of 100 Lake Score
Wolf Lakenear Bemidji	Beltrami	Special	1,076	57 ft	64 out of 100 Lake Score
Fish Trap Lakenear Lincoln	Morrison	Special	1,164	42 ft	62 out of 100 Lake Score
North Star Lakenear Marcell	Itasca	Special	832	90 ft	74 out of 100 Lake Score
Nest Lakenear Spicer	Kandiyohi	Special	969	40 ft	56 out of 100 Lake Score
White Bear Lakenear White Bear Lake	Washington	Statewide	2,428	83 ft	80 out of 100 Lake Score
Baby Lakenear Hackensack	Cass	Statewide	737	69 ft	67 out of 100 Lake Score
White Iron Lakenear Ely	St. Louis	Special	3,237	47 ft	58 out of 100 Lake Score
Lake Zumbronear Oronoco	Olmsted	Statewide	715	43 ft	58 out of 100 Lake Score
Horseshoe Lakenear Richmond	Stearns	Special	629	57 ft	53 out of 100 Lake Score
Forest Lakenear Forest Lake	Washington	Statewide	2,271	37 ft	68 out of 100 Lake Score
Man Lakenear Hackensack	Cass	Statewide	491	93 ft	66 out of 100 Lake Score
West Battle Lakenear Battle Lake	Otter Tail	Special	5,615	108 ft	81 out of 100 Lake Score
Lake Shamineaunear Motley	Morrison	Special	1,434	52 ft	73 out of 100 Lake Score
Mantrap Lakenear Emmaville	Hubbard	Special	1,618	68 ft	71 out of 100 Lake Score
Lake Irvingnear Bemidji	Beltrami	Statewide	662	19 ft	66 out of 100 Lake Score
Benedict Lakenear Benedict	Hubbard	Statewide	464	91 ft	66 out of 100 Lake Score
Girl Lakenear Longville	Cass	Special	428	81 ft	65 out of 100 Lake Score
Lake Itascanear Lake Itasca	Clearwater	Special	1,065	40 ft	75 out of 100 Lake Score
Lobster Lakenear Holmes City	Douglas	Statewide	1,334	65 ft	71 out of 100 Lake Score
Big Sand Lakenear Dorset	Hubbard	Statewide	1,639	135 ft	69 out of 100 Lake Score
Child Lakenear Longville	Cass	Special	285	29 ft	59 out of 100 Lake Score
Elbow Lakenear Waubun	Becker	Statewide	995	76 ft	66 out of 100 Lake Score
Sugar Lakenear Annandale	Wright	Special	1,014	69 ft	63 out of 100 Lake Score
Cedar Island Lakenear Richmond	Stearns	Special	986	75 ft	55 out of 100 Lake Score
French Lakenear Faribault	Rice	Statewide	876	56 ft	53 out of 100 Lake Score
Lake Elmonear Lake Elmo	Washington	Special	257	140 ft	78 out of 100 Lake Score
Shagawa Lakenear Ely	St. Louis	Statewide	2,345	48 ft	70 out of 100 Lake Score
Borden Lakenear Garrison	Crow Wing	Special	1,011	84 ft	65 out of 100 Lake Score
Roberds Lakenear Shieldsville	Rice	Statewide	632	43 ft	62 out of 100 Lake Score
Little Spirit Lakenear Jackson	Jackson	Statewide	624	8 ft	47 out of 100 Lake Score
Kitchi Lakenear Pennington	Beltrami	Special	1,865	50 ft	60 out of 100 Lake Score
Straight Lakenear Osage	Becker	Statewide	471	63 ft	74 out of 100 Lake Score
Mina Lakenear Garfield	Douglas	Statewide	411	123 ft	64 out of 100 Lake Score
Elk Lakenear Lake Itasca	Clearwater	Statewide	303	93 ft	64 out of 100 Lake Score
Rice Lakenear Brainerd	Crow Wing	Special	418	25 ft	52 out of 100 Lake Score
Lake Waconianear Waconia	Carver	Special	3,080	37 ft	67 out of 100 Lake Score
Little Vermilion Lakenear Crane Lake	St. Louis	Special	1,288	52 ft	57 out of 100 Lake Score
Sand Lakenear Moose Lake	Pine	Statewide	527	47 ft	64 out of 100 Lake Score
Island Lakenear Sturgeon Lake	Pine	Statewide	527	42 ft	55 out of 100 Lake Score
Little Wolf Lakenear Cass Lake	Cass	Statewide	525	24 ft	54 out of 100 Lake Score
Blueberry Lakenear Menahga	Wadena	Special	533	15 ft	53 out of 100 Lake Score
Hall Lakenear Fairmont	Martin	Special	548	27 ft	52 out of 100 Lake Score
West Rush Lakenear Rush City	Chisago	Special	1,594	42 ft	54 out of 100 Lake Score
Leavitt Lakenear Mae	Cass	Statewide	122	60 ft	54 out of 100 Lake Score
East Rush Lakenear Rush City	Chisago	Special	1,494	24 ft	52 out of 100 Lake Score
Pickerel Lakenear Detroit Lakes	Becker	Statewide	361	74 ft	64 out of 100 Lake Score
Bald Eagle Lakenear White Bear Lake	Ramsey	Statewide	1,049	36 ft	63 out of 100 Lake Score
Lake Independencenear Maple Plain	Hennepin	Statewide	832	58 ft	70 out of 100 Lake Score
Fox Lakenear Sherburn	Martin	Statewide	951	20 ft	57 out of 100 Lake Score
Comfort Lakenear Wyoming	Chisago	Statewide	218	47 ft	55 out of 100 Lake Score
South Oscar Lake	Douglas	Statewide	997	25 ft	54 out of 100 Lake Score
Budd Lakenear Fairmont	Martin	Special	228	23 ft	50 out of 100 Lake Score
Lake Louisenear Garfield	Douglas	Statewide	214	33 ft	56 out of 100 Lake Score
Lake Nokomisnear Minneapolis	Hennepin	Special	201	33 ft	67 out of 100 Lake Score
Bryant Lakenear Eden Prairie	Hennepin	Special	180	45 ft	65 out of 100 Lake Score
Sisseton Lakenear Fairmont	Martin	Special	138	19 ft	47 out of 100 Lake Score
Great Northern Lakenear Cold Spring	Stearns	Special	196	16 ft	45 out of 100 Lake Score
Bde Maka Ska Lakenear Minneapolis	Hennepin	Special	424	82 ft	73 out of 100 Lake Score
Weaver Lakenear Maple Grove	Hennepin	Special	152	57 ft	69 out of 100 Lake Score
Lake Owassonear Shoreview	Ramsey	Special	375	37 ft	55 out of 100 Lake Score
Clear Lakenear Forest Lake	Washington	Special	429	28 ft	52 out of 100 Lake Score
Lake Harrietnear Minneapolis	Hennepin	Statewide	341	87 ft	74 out of 100 Lake Score
Lake Crystalnear Lakeville	Dakota	Special	293	37 ft	70 out of 100 Lake Score
Mons Lakenear Swanville	Todd	Statewide	95	80 ft	65 out of 100 Lake Score
Eagle Lakenear Maple Grove	Hennepin	Statewide	296	34 ft	53 out of 100 Lake Score
Orchard Lakenear Lakeville	Dakota	Special	238	33 ft	64 out of 100 Lake Score
Lake Gervaisnear Little Canada	Ramsey	Special	235	41 ft	63 out of 100 Lake Score
Little Moose Lakenear Grand Rapids	Itasca	Statewide	289	23 ft	60 out of 100 Lake Score
Cedar Lakenear New Prague	Scott	Special	793	13 ft	66 out of 100 Lake Score
Lake Johannanear Arden Hills	Ramsey	Special	212	43 ft	53 out of 100 Lake Score
Crescent Lakenear Grand Marais	Cook	Statewide	755	28 ft	61 out of 100 Lake Score
Lake Rebeccanear Rockford	Hennepin	Statewide	263	30 ft	74 out of 100 Lake Score
Bouder Lakenear Grand Marais	Cook	Statewide	129	17 ft	48 out of 100 Lake Score
Dumbbell Lakenear Isabella	Lake	Statewide	406	40 ft	59 out of 100 Lake Score
Lake Crystalnear Robbinsdale	Hennepin	Special	79	39 ft	46 out of 100 Lake Score
Keller Lakenear Maplewood	Ramsey	Statewide	73	8 ft	48 out of 100 Lake Score
Beers Lakenear Pelican Rapids	Otter Tail	Statewide	317	61 ft	59 out of 100 Lake Score
Orange Lakenear Marcell	Itasca	Statewide	104	30 ft	38 out of 100 Lake Score
Kinogami Lakenear Lutsen	Cook	Statewide	111	30 ft	41 out of 100 Lake Score
Harris Lakenear Ely	Lake	Statewide	122	13 ft	33 out of 100 Lake Score
Lichen Lakenear Lutsen	Cook	Statewide	253	17 ft	36 out of 100 Lake Score
Shoepack Lakenear International Falls	St. Louis	Statewide	299	24 ft	37 out of 100 Lake Score
Stone Lakenear Victoria	Carver	Statewide	101	30 ft	24 out of 100 Lake Score

Other species

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I catch muskellunge in Minnesota?

DNR surveys have recorded muskellunge in 125 of the lakes in this directory. The top-ranked are St. Louis River Estuary (St. Louis County), Lake St. Croix (Washington County), Leech Lake (Cass County).

Are there special regulations for muskellunge?

Statewide seasons and limits apply unless a lake has its own rule. 66 of the lakes listed here carry special regulations of some kind; each lake page shows the text. Always confirm with the current DNR fishing regulations.