Minnesota · ranked from DNR surveys
Best northern pike lakes in Minnesota
3109 surveyed northern pike lakes sit across Minnesota; 1571 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 1.8 northern pike per net in gill nets in its 2025 survey and a 43-inch fish the biggest measured. Rainy Lake is next at A+, 1.9 northern pike per net in gill nets in its 2025 survey, 16% of the northern pike netted over 30 inches. Kabetogama Lake rounds out the top three at A+, a 40-inch fish the biggest measured.
| # | Lake | Grade | Acres | Survey catch rate | Over 30" | Biggest Surveyed | Avg wt | Surveyed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lake of the Woods | A+ | 725,583 | 1.8/net in gill nets | 27% | 43" | 4.5 lb | 2025 |
| 2 | Rainy Lake | A+ | 210,200 | 1.9/net in gill nets | 16% | 41" | 3.4 lb | 2025 |
| 3 | Kabetogama Lake | A+ | 24,034 | 3.4/net in gill nets | 18% | 40" | 3.6 lb | 2025 |
| 4 | Mille Lacs Lake | A+ | 128,250 | 1.6/net in gill nets | 18% | 45" | 4.1 lb | 2025 |
| 5 | Lake Minnewaska | A+ | 8,050 | 13.5/net in gill nets | 5% | 36" | 2.8 lb | 2025 |
| 6 | Maple Lake | A+ | 1,641 | 21.7/net in gill nets | 5% | 36" | 2.5 lb | 2024 |
| 7 | Red (Upper Red) Lake | A+ | 119,294 | 1.2/net in gill nets | 15% | 41" | 2.8 lb | 2025 |
| 8 | Leech Lake | A+ | 103,444 | 3.5/net in gill nets | 3% | 36" | 2.2 lb | 2025 |
| 9 | Minnetonka Lake | A | 14,206 | 12.2/net in gill nets | 5% | 35" | 2.5 lb | 2022 |
| 10 | Thirteen Lake | A | 555 | 20.7/net in gill nets | 8% | 37" | 2.2 lb | 2025 |
| 11 | Grove Lake | A | 345 | 29.8/net in gill nets | 3% | 37" | 1.7 lb | 2023 |
| 12 | Koronis (main lake) | A | 2,968 | 8/net in gill nets | 19% | 37" | 4.1 lb | 2025 |
| 13 | Dolney Lake | A | 272 | 27/net in gill nets | 7% | 37" | 2.9 lb | 2017 |
| 14 | Lower Mission Lake | A | 732 | 16.2/net in gill nets | 5% | 38" | 2.2 lb | 2022 |
| 15 | Big Cormorant Lake | A | 3,657 | 7.1/net in gill nets | 8% | 37" | 3.1 lb | 2025 |
| 16 | North Twin Lake | A | 966 | 15.7/net in gill nets | 3% | 38" | 1.9 lb | 2024 |
| 17 | Platte Lake | A | 1,663 | 14.6/net in gill nets | 2% | 39" | 1.9 lb | 2025 |
| 18 | Cut Foot Sioux Lake | A | 2,771 | 8.2/net in gill nets | 3% | 40" | 2 lb | 2025 |
| 19 | South Twin Lake | A | 1,127 | 34.4/net in gill nets | 2% | 34" | 1.2 lb | 2024 |
| 20 | Crooked Lake | A | 10,360 | 4.9/net in gill nets | 8% | 38" | 3.1 lb | 2025 |
| 21 | Basswood Lake | A | 25,953 | 3/net in gill nets | 14% | 39" | 2.8 lb | 2025 |
| 22 | Winnibigoshish Lake | A | 56,471 | 2.4/net in gill nets | 3% | 36" | 2.2 lb | 2025 |
| 23 | Island Lake | A | 3,108 | 6.8/net in gill nets | 25% | 37" | 4.4 lb | 2024 |
| 24 | Ocheda Lake | A | 1,691 | 14/net in gill nets | 6% | 36" | 3 lb | 2009 |
| 25 | Sand Lake | A | 779 | 19.3/net in gill nets | 3% | 36" | 3 lb | 2023 |
Also ranked statewide: Walleye · Muskellunge · Largemouth bass · Smallmouth bass · Crappie · Bluegill · Yellow perch
Northern pike by county: Aitkin · Anoka · Becker · Beltrami · Big Stone · Blue Earth · Carlton · Carver · Cass · Chisago · Clay · Clearwater · Cook · Crow Wing · Douglas · Freeborn · Grant · Hennepin · Hubbard · Isanti · Itasca · Jackson · Kanabec · Kandiyohi · Lake · Le Sueur · Lincoln · Lyon · Mahnomen · Martin · McLeod · Meeker · Morrison · Murray · Otter Tail · Pine · Polk · Pope · Ramsey · Rice · Scott · Sherburne · St. Louis · Stearns · Todd · Wadena · Washington · Wright
Northern pike near a city: Minneapolis · St. Paul · Duluth · St. Cloud · Brainerd · Bemidji · Mankato · Grand Rapids · Alexandria · Willmar
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.