Minnesota · ranked from DNR surveys
Best crappie lakes in Minnesota
2463 surveyed crappie lakes sit across Minnesota; 1407 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.
Lake of the Woods leads at grade A+, with 3.2 crappie per net in trap nets in its 2025 survey and a 15-inch fish the biggest measured. Rainy Lake is next at A+, 8.5 crappie per net in trap nets in its 2025 survey, 9% of the crappie netted over 10 inches. Long Lake rounds out the top three at A+, a 14-inch fish the biggest measured.
| # | Lake | Grade | Acres | Survey catch rate | Over 10" | Biggest Surveyed | Avg wt | Surveyed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lake of the Woods | A+ | 725,583 | 3.2/net in trap nets | 11% | 15" | 0.6 lb | 2025 |
| 2 | Rainy Lake | A+ | 210,200 | 8.5/net in trap nets | 9% | 14" | 0.7 lb | 2025 |
| 3 | Long Lake | A+ | 620 | 80.2/net in trap nets | 7% | 14" | 0.1 lb | 2023 |
| 4 | Lura Lake | A+ | 1,359 | 33.7/net in trap nets | 5% | 14" | 0.1 lb | 2023 |
| 5 | Vermilion Lake | A+ | 39,272 | 5/net in trap nets | 31% | 14" | 0.5 lb | 2025 |
| 6 | Round Lake | A+ | 930 | 27.2/net in trap nets | 8% | 14" | 0.6 lb | 2025 |
| 7 | Duck Lake | A+ | 290 | 26.2/net in trap nets | 10% | 17" | 0.2 lb | 2025 |
| 8 | North Turtle Lake | A+ | 1,773 | 39.6/net in trap nets | 18% | 13" | 0.2 lb | 2025 |
| 9 | Crystal Lake | A+ | 379 | 15.7/net in trap nets | 12% | 15" | 0.9 lb | 2023 |
| 10 | Hanska Lake | A+ | 1,795 | 22.5/net in trap nets | 26% | 13" | 0.3 lb | 2025 |
| 11 | Clear Lake | A+ | 252 | 122.1/net in trap nets | 7% | 13" | — | 2025 |
| 12 | Bright Lake | A+ | 639 | 13/net in trap nets | 51% | 14" | 0.6 lb | 2025 |
| 13 | Sullivan Lake | A | 1,103 | 9/net in trap nets | 24% | 14" | 0.4 lb | 2025 |
| 14 | East Graham Lake | A | 511 | 26.2/net in trap nets | 17% | 13" | 0.9 lb | 2025 |
| 15 | Moon Lake | A | 139 | 20.6/net in trap nets | 50% | 14" | 0.6 lb | 2023 |
| 16 | Benton Lake | A | 2,700 | 7/net in trap nets | 33% | 13" | 0.4 lb | 2025 |
| 17 | Diamond Lake | A | 1,610 | 11.5/net in trap nets | 17% | 13" | 0.3 lb | 2025 |
| 18 | Elysian (Main Lake) | A | 2,215 | 5.8/net in trap nets | 11% | 15" | 0.6 lb | 2023 |
| 19 | Swan Lake | A | 352 | 18.5/net in trap nets | 23% | 13" | 0.8 lb | 2025 |
| 20 | Cedar Lake | A | 707 | 19.6/net in trap nets | 30% | 14" | 0.8 lb | 2022 |
| 21 | Lake Osakis | A | 6,389 | 2.4/net in trap nets | 34% | 14" | 0.4 lb | 2025 |
| 22 | Red Rock Lake | A | 904 | 6.3/net in trap nets | 39% | 14" | 0.4 lb | 2025 |
| 23 | Washington Lake | A | 1,516 | 8.5/net in trap nets | 14% | 13" | 0.5 lb | 2025 |
| 24 | Shetek Lake | A | 3,462 | 5.1/net in trap nets | 15% | 13" | 0.4 lb | 2025 |
| 25 | North Tamarack Lake | A | 1,442 | 4.3/net in trap nets | 47% | 15" | 0.6 lb | 2023 |
Also ranked statewide: Walleye · Northern pike · Muskellunge · Largemouth bass · Smallmouth bass · Bluegill · Yellow perch
Crappie by county: Aitkin · Anoka · Becker · Beltrami · Big Stone · Blue Earth · Carlton · Carver · Cass · Chisago · Clearwater · Cook · Cottonwood · Crow Wing · Dakota · Douglas · Freeborn · Grant · Hennepin · Hubbard · Isanti · Itasca · Jackson · Kanabec · Kandiyohi · Lake · Le Sueur · Lyon · Mahnomen · Martin · McLeod · Meeker · Morrison · Murray · Nobles · Otter Tail · Pine · Polk · Pope · Ramsey · Rice · Scott · Sherburne · St. Louis · Stearns · Stevens · Todd · Washington · Wright
Crappie 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.