Minnesota · ranked from DNR surveys
Best yellow perch lakes near St. Cloud
The DNR has surveyed yellow perch in 118 lakes within 25 miles of St. Cloud. Of those, 37 earn a grade on this site, and the top 10 are ranked below. Grades come from survey catch rates, fish size and trophy history, scored the same way for every lake on the live map.
Horseshoe Lake is first at B+. The DNR caught 16.5 yellow perch per gill net in the 2025 survey, and the biggest was 9 inches. Elk Lake is second at B+, with 15.2 yellow perch per gill net in the 2019 survey, and 2% of its yellow perch measured over 9 inches. Somers Lake is third at B, and its biggest yellow perch was 9 inches.
| # | Lake | Grade | Acres | Survey catch rate | Over 9" | Biggest Surveyed | Avg wt | Surveyed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Horseshoe Lake | B+ | 629 | 16.5/net in gill nets | 1% | 9" | 0.1 lb | 2025 |
| 2 | Elk Lake | B+ | 357 | 15.2/net in gill nets | 2% | 10" | 0.2 lb | 2019 |
| 3 | Somers Lake | B | 151 | 52.2/net in gill nets | 0% | 9" | 0.1 lb | 2025 |
| 4 | Vails Lake | B | 161 | 36/net in gill nets | 0% | 9" | 0.1 lb | 2024 |
| 5 | Clear Lake | B | 529 | 28.7/net in gill nets | 0% | 8" | 0.1 lb | 2023 |
| 6 | Long Lake | B | 487 | 24.9/net in gill nets | 0% | 8" | 0.1 lb | 2025 |
| 7 | Marie Lake | B | 146 | 37.4/net in gill nets | 0% | 8" | 0.1 lb | 2019 |
| 8 | North Brown's Lake | B | 312 | 25.2/net in gill nets | 0% | 8" | 0.1 lb | 2024 |
| 9 | Zumwalde Lake | B− | 128 | 9.5/net in gill nets | 3% | 9" | 0.1 lb | 2024 |
| 10 | Knaus Lake | B− | 216 | 26.8/net in gill nets | 0% | 8" | 0.1 lb | 2024 |
Also ranked near St. Cloud: Walleye · Northern pike · Largemouth bass · Smallmouth bass · Crappie · Bluegill
All of Minnesota: Best yellow perch lakes in Minnesota
Grades are based on Minnesota DNR survey data: how many fish the DNR caught (scaled by lake size), how many reached quality size, and the biggest fish measured. Each lake's page has the numbers behind its grade. The table shows each lake's most recent survey year.