Minnesota · ranked from DNR surveys
Best muskellunge lakes in Minnesota
106 surveyed muskellunge lakes sit across Minnesota; 68 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.
Leech Lake leads at grade A, a 50-inch fish the biggest measured. Bouder Lake is next at A, 0% of the muskellunge netted over 40 inches. Vermilion Lake rounds out the top three at A, a 50-inch fish the biggest measured.
| # | Lake | Grade | Acres | Survey catch rate | Over 40" | Biggest Surveyed | Avg wt | Surveyed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leech Lake | A | 103,444 | — | 78% | 50" | 21.6 lb | 2025 |
| 2 | Bouder Lake | A | 129 | — | 0% | 38" | 4.4 lb | 2014 |
| 3 | Vermilion Lake | A | 39,272 | — | 83% | 50" | 25.9 lb | 2025 |
| 4 | Lichen Lake | A− | 253 | — | 0% | 35" | 3.9 lb | 2014 |
| 5 | Harris Lake | A− | 122 | — | 0% | 33" | 3.8 lb | 2025 |
| 6 | Minnetonka Lake | A− | 14,206 | — | 50% | 50" | 22.1 lb | 2022 |
| 7 | Island Lake Reservoir | A− | 8,001 | — | 76% | 50" | 17.3 lb | 2025 |
| 8 | Dumbbell Lake | B+ | 406 | — | 0% | 36" | 5.9 lb | 2023 |
| 9 | Elk Lake | B+ | 303 | — | 25% | 50" | 8.1 lb | 2025 |
| 10 | Little Wolf Lake | B+ | 525 | — | 0% | 39" | 7.2 lb | 2024 |
| 11 | Lake Miltona | B+ | 5,731 | — | 68% | 50" | 14.5 lb | 2023 |
| 12 | Cass Lake | B+ | 15,958 | — | 0% | 31" | 4 lb | 2025 |
| 13 | Bald Eagle Lake | B | 1,049 | — | 56% | 48" | 16.7 lb | 2022 |
| 14 | Many Point Lake | B | 1,701 | — | 0% | 28" | 3.1 lb | 2023 |
| 15 | Big Lake | B | 3,598 | — | 77% | 50" | 21.7 lb | 2025 |
| 16 | Moose Lake | B | 1,273 | — | 33% | 40" | 12.5 lb | 2025 |
| 17 | Little Boy Lake | B | 1,452 | — | 0% | 24" | 2.2 lb | 2024 |
| 18 | Deer Lake | B | 4,094 | — | 100% | 44" | 23.2 lb | 2023 |
| 19 | Lake Oscar | B− | 997 | — | 71% | 50" | — | 2025 |
| 20 | Roosevelt Lake | B− | 1,511 | — | 55% | 50" | 17.5 lb | 2024 |
| 21 | Sugar Lake | B− | 1,014 | — | 85% | 50" | 22 lb | 2025 |
| 22 | Bemidji (main lake) | B− | 6,596 | — | 100% | 50" | — | 2022 |
| 23 | Pelican Lake | B− | 3,962 | — | 81% | 50" | 22.6 lb | 2025 |
| 24 | Lake of the Woods | B− | 725,583 | — | 83% | 50" | 23.7 lb | 2025 |
| 25 | Mille Lacs Lake | B− | 128,250 | — | 65% | 50" | 17.8 lb | 2025 |
Also ranked statewide: Walleye · Northern pike · Largemouth bass · Smallmouth bass · Crappie · Bluegill · Yellow perch
Muskellunge by county: Beltrami · Cass
Muskellunge near a city: Minneapolis · St. Paul · Brainerd · Bemidji
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.