Minnesota · ranked from DNR surveys
Best bluegill lakes in Minnesota
2669 surveyed bluegill lakes sit across Minnesota; 1430 cleared this site's grade rubric, which reads DNR survey catch rates, size structure and trophy history the same way the live map does for every lake. The top 25 are ranked here.
Pokegama Lake leads at grade A+, with 23.5 bluegill per net in trap nets in its 2024 survey and a 10-inch fish the biggest measured. High Lake is next at A, 108.8 bluegill per net in trap nets in its 2024 survey, 8% of the bluegill netted over 8 inches. Lake Miltona rounds out the top three at A, a 13-inch fish the biggest measured.
| # | Lake | Grade | Acres | Survey catch rate | Over 8" | Biggest Surveyed | Avg wt | Surveyed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pokegama Lake | A+ | 6,721 | 23.5/net in trap nets | 24% | 10" | 0.2 lb | 2024 |
| 2 | High Lake | A | 274 | 108.8/net in trap nets | 8% | 10" | — | 2024 |
| 3 | Lake Miltona | A | 5,731 | 29.3/net in trap nets | 2% | 13" | 0.2 lb | 2023 |
| 4 | Little Sugar Bush Lake | A | 221 | 80.2/net in trap nets | 35% | 10" | 0.2 lb | 2023 |
| 5 | Green Lake | A | 5,569 | 52.1/net in trap nets | 1% | 10" | 0.1 lb | 2025 |
| 6 | Tenmile Lake | A | 1,428 | 33/net in trap nets | 12% | 10" | 0.2 lb | 2025 |
| 7 | Lake Minnewaska | A | 8,050 | 57.5/net in trap nets | 14% | 9" | 0.2 lb | 2025 |
| 8 | Nest Lake | A | 969 | 44.4/net in trap nets | 7% | 10" | 0.2 lb | 2025 |
| 9 | Phelps Lake | A | 303 | 282.5/net in trap nets | 6% | 9" | — | 2015 |
| 10 | Dead Lake | A | 7,546 | 33.4/net in trap nets | 16% | 9" | 0.2 lb | 2024 |
| 11 | Vermilion Lake | A | 39,272 | 14.3/net in trap nets | 12% | 9" | 0.2 lb | 2025 |
| 12 | Lake Reno | A | 3,809 | 18.7/net in trap nets | 10% | 10" | 0.2 lb | 2024 |
| 13 | Maple Lake | A | 1,641 | 65.2/net in trap nets | 13% | 9" | 0.2 lb | 2024 |
| 14 | West Battle Lake | A | 5,615 | 44.3/net in trap nets | 4% | 9" | 0.1 lb | 2025 |
| 15 | Hovde Lake | A | 133 | 86.1/net in trap nets | 22% | 10" | 0.2 lb | 2017 |
| 16 | Bass Lake | A | 244 | 63.6/net in trap nets | 25% | 10" | 0.3 lb | 2024 |
| 17 | Wall Lake | A | 727 | 77.3/net in trap nets | 9% | 9" | 0.1 lb | 2025 |
| 18 | Lake Moses | A | 824 | 30.6/net in trap nets | 30% | 10" | 0.3 lb | 2024 |
| 19 | Waverly Lake | A | 494 | 110.8/net in trap nets | 3% | 9" | 0.2 lb | 2024 |
| 20 | Big Sugar Bush Lake | A | 522 | 57.7/net in trap nets | 29% | 9" | 0.2 lb | 2022 |
| 21 | Pleasant Lake | A | 385 | 272.2/net in trap nets | 1% | 9" | — | 2025 |
| 22 | Star Lake | A | 4,486 | 13.6/net in trap nets | 34% | 10" | 0.3 lb | 2025 |
| 23 | Somers Lake | A | 151 | 86.3/net in trap nets | 6% | 10" | 0.2 lb | 2025 |
| 24 | Lake Aaron | A | 610 | 54.9/net in trap nets | 12% | 9" | 0.2 lb | 2024 |
| 25 | Lake Osakis | A | 6,389 | 17.3/net in trap nets | 9% | 9" | 0.2 lb | 2025 |
Also ranked statewide: Walleye · Northern pike · Muskellunge · Largemouth bass · Smallmouth bass · Crappie · Yellow perch
Bluegill by county: Aitkin · Anoka · Becker · Beltrami · Blue Earth · Carlton · Carver · Cass · Chisago · Clearwater · Cook · Crow Wing · Douglas · Grant · Hennepin · Hubbard · Isanti · Itasca · Kanabec · Kandiyohi · Lake · Le Sueur · Mahnomen · McLeod · Meeker · Morrison · Otter Tail · Pine · Polk · Pope · Ramsey · Rice · Scott · Sherburne · St. Louis · Stearns · Todd · Wadena · Waseca · Washington · Wright
Bluegill near a city: Minneapolis · St. Paul · Duluth · St. Cloud · Brainerd · Bemidji · Mankato · Grand Rapids · Alexandria
Grades are this site's rubric over Minnesota DNR survey data (catch per unit effort against DNR benchmarks, size structure, trophy history). See any lake's page for the underlying numbers. Survey years vary by lake; the table shows each lake's latest.