Minnesota · ranked from DNR surveys
Best yellow perch lakes near Bemidji
118 surveyed yellow perch lakes sit within 25 miles of Bemidji; 60 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 10 are ranked here.
Cass Lake leads at grade A+, with 49 yellow perch per net in gill nets in its 2025 survey and a 13-inch fish the biggest measured. Pike Bay Lake is next at A+, 81.6 yellow perch per net in gill nets in its 2025 survey, 21% of the yellow perch netted over 9 inches. Plantagenet Lake rounds out the top three at A, a 12-inch fish the biggest measured.
| # | Lake | Grade | Acres | Survey catch rate | Over 9" | Biggest Surveyed | Avg wt | Surveyed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cass Lake | A+ | 15,958 | 49/net in gill nets | 28% | 13" | 0.2 lb | 2025 |
| 2 | Pike Bay Lake | A+ | 4,756 | 81.6/net in gill nets | 21% | 12" | 0.2 lb | 2025 |
| 3 | Plantagenet Lake | A | 2,531 | 25.5/net in gill nets | 19% | 12" | 0.2 lb | 2024 |
| 4 | Irving Lake | A | 662 | 45.2/net in gill nets | 11% | 11" | 0.2 lb | 2022 |
| 5 | Bemidji (main lake) | A | 6,596 | 31.6/net in gill nets | 5% | 10" | 0.2 lb | 2022 |
| 6 | Blackduck Lake | A | 2,711 | 40.9/net in gill nets | 5% | 10" | 0.2 lb | 2025 |
| 7 | Big Rice Lake | A | 643 | 31.8/net in gill nets | 19% | 11" | 0.2 lb | 2019 |
| 8 | Rabideau Lake | A | 680 | 30.8/net in gill nets | 12% | 11" | 0.2 lb | 2025 |
| 9 | Itasca Lake | A | 1,065 | 33.2/net in gill nets | 7% | 10" | 0.1 lb | 2025 |
| 10 | Wolf Lake | A | 1,076 | 46.5/net in gill nets | 3% | 10" | 0.1 lb | 2025 |
Also ranked near Bemidji: Walleye · Northern pike · Muskellunge · Largemouth bass · Smallmouth bass · Crappie · Bluegill
All of Minnesota: Best yellow perch lakes in Minnesota
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.