Rainbow Trout Lakes in Minnesota
35 lakes where Minnesota DNR fisheries surveys have recorded rainbow trout.
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 rainbow trout lakes are Cook (8), St. Louis (6), Crow Wing (5).
New to the species? Read How to Catch Stream Trout in Minnesota Lakes: Rainbows, Brookies, Browns & Splake.
1.St. Louis River Estuary
82 out of 100 Lake ScoreSt. Louis · Duluth10,255 acres
Stocking on record
2.Grindstone Lake
66 out of 100 Lake ScorePine · Sandstone533 acres
Stocking on record
3.Bad Medicine Lake
70 out of 100 Lake ScoreBecker · Ponsford803 acres
Special regulations
4.Mahnomen, Alstead & Arco Lake
65 out of 100 Lake ScoreCrow Wing · Armour Number Two Mine272 acres
Special regulations
5.Blue Lake
68 out of 100 Lake ScoreHubbard · Park Rapids336 acres
Stocking on record
6.Big Watab Lake
67 out of 100 Lake ScoreStearns · Avon246 acres
Stocking on record
7.Long Lake
80 out of 100 Lake ScoreClearwater · Lake Itasca159 acres
Stocking on record
8.Sagamore Mine
67 out of 100 Lake ScoreCrow Wing · Riverton119 acres
Special regulations
9.Portsmouth Mine
74 out of 100 Lake ScoreCrow Wing · Armour Number Two Mine149 acres
Stocking on record
10.Pennington Mine
70 out of 100 Lake ScoreCrow Wing · Ironton62 acres
Special regulations
11.Miner's Pit
70 out of 100 Lake ScoreSt. Louis · Ely141 acres
Stocking on record
12.Deep Lake
60 out of 100 Lake ScoreClearwater · Clearbrook40 acres
Stocking on record
All 35 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 |
| Grindstone Lakenear Sandstone | Pine | Statewide | 533 | 153 ft | 66 out of 100 Lake Score |
| Bad Medicine Lakenear Ponsford | Becker | Special | 803 | 84 ft | 70 out of 100 Lake Score |
| Mahnomen, Alstead & Arco Lakenear Armour Number Two Mine | Crow Wing | Special | 272 | 525 ft | 65 out of 100 Lake Score |
| Blue Lakenear Park Rapids | Hubbard | Statewide | 336 | 84 ft | 68 out of 100 Lake Score |
| Big Watab Lakenear Avon | Stearns | Statewide | 246 | 123 ft | 67 out of 100 Lake Score |
| Long Lakenear Lake Itasca | Clearwater | Statewide | 159 | 80 ft | 80 out of 100 Lake Score |
| Sagamore Minenear Riverton | Crow Wing | Special | 119 | 210 ft | 67 out of 100 Lake Score |
| Portsmouth Minenear Armour Number Two Mine | Crow Wing | Statewide | 149 | 395 ft | 74 out of 100 Lake Score |
| Pennington Minenear Ironton | Crow Wing | Special | 62 | 259 ft | 70 out of 100 Lake Score |
| Miner's Pitnear Ely | St. Louis | Statewide | 141 | 140 ft | 70 out of 100 Lake Score |
| Deep Lakenear Clearbrook | Clearwater | Statewide | 40 | 76 ft | 60 out of 100 Lake Score |
| Huntington Minenear Crosby | Crow Wing | Statewide | 106 | 258 ft | 68 out of 100 Lake Score |
| St James Pitnear Aurora | St. Louis | Statewide | 124 | 381 ft | 60 out of 100 Lake Score |
| Mayhew Lakenear Grand Marais | Cook | Statewide | 221 | 84 ft | 56 out of 100 Lake Score |
| Blue Lakenear Aitkin | Aitkin | Statewide | 54 | 106 ft | 57 out of 100 Lake Score |
| Kimball Lakenear Grand Marais | Cook | Statewide | 77 | 16 ft | 55 out of 100 Lake Score |
| Hogback Lakenear Isabella | Lake | Statewide | 40 | 43 ft | 59 out of 100 Lake Score |
| Trout Lakenear Grand Marais | Cook | Statewide | 259 | 77 ft | 58 out of 100 Lake Score |
| High Lakenear Ely | St. Louis | Statewide | 274 | 66 ft | 55 out of 100 Lake Score |
| Tioga Mine Pitnear Cohasset | Itasca | Statewide | 49 | 225 ft | 64 out of 100 Lake Score |
| Tofte Lakenear Ely | Lake | Statewide | 134 | 73 ft | 59 out of 100 Lake Score |
| Kinney Lakenear Kinney | St. Louis | Statewide | 45 | 160 ft | 56 out of 100 Lake Score |
| Birch Lakenear Grand Marais | Cook | Statewide | 236 | 69 ft | 55 out of 100 Lake Score |
| Esther Lakenear Hovland | Cook | Statewide | 78 | 35 ft | 49 out of 100 Lake Score |
| Mink Lakenear Grand Marais | Cook | Statewide | 57 | 15 ft | 40 out of 100 Lake Score |
| Echo Lakenear Finland | Lake | Statewide | 42 | 61 ft | 50 out of 100 Lake Score |
| Island Lakenear Zerkel | Clearwater | Statewide | 44 | 58 ft | 46 out of 100 Lake Score |
| Taylor Lakenear Hill City | Aitkin | Statewide | 55 | 84 ft | 47 out of 100 Lake Score |
| Diamond Lakenear Walker | Cass | Statewide | 77 | 31 ft | 44 out of 100 Lake Score |
| Leo Lakenear Grand Marais | Cook | Statewide | 102 | 28 ft | 39 out of 100 Lake Score |
| Newman Lakenear Bemidji | Hubbard | Statewide | 45 | 63 ft | 47 out of 100 Lake Score |
| Ram Lakenear Grand Marais | Cook | Statewide | 68 | 40 ft | 47 out of 100 Lake Score |
| Divide Lakenear Isabella | Lake | Statewide | 61 | 22 ft | 43 out of 100 Lake Score |
| Briar Lakenear Palmers | St. Louis | Statewide | 79 | 21 ft | 32 out of 100 Lake Score |
Other species
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I catch rainbow trout in Minnesota?
DNR surveys have recorded rainbow trout in 35 of the lakes in this directory. The top-ranked are St. Louis River Estuary (St. Louis County), Grindstone Lake (Pine County), Bad Medicine Lake (Becker County).
Are there special regulations for rainbow trout?
Statewide seasons and limits apply unless a lake has its own rule. 4 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.