Minnesota · ranked from DNR surveys
Best yellow perch lakes in Minnesota
3061 surveyed yellow perch lakes sit across Minnesota; 1502 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.
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. Mille Lacs Lake is next at A+, 53 yellow perch per net in gill nets in its 2025 survey, 10% of the yellow perch netted over 9 inches. Pike Bay 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 | Mille Lacs Lake | A+ | 128,250 | 53/net in gill nets | 10% | 14" | 0.1 lb | 2025 |
| 3 | Pike Bay Lake | A+ | 4,756 | 81.6/net in gill nets | 21% | 12" | 0.2 lb | 2025 |
| 4 | Iron Lake | A+ | 282 | 317/net in gill nets | 24% | 12" | 0.2 lb | 2025 |
| 5 | Lake of the Woods | A+ | 725,583 | 17.7/net in gill nets | 2% | 13" | 0.4 lb | 2025 |
| 6 | Vermilion Lake | A+ | 39,272 | 27.6/net in gill nets | 21% | 12" | 0.2 lb | 2025 |
| 7 | Ann Lake | A+ | 370 | 180.3/net in gill nets | 9% | 12" | 0.1 lb | 2023 |
| 8 | Sarah Lake | A+ | 1,209 | 84.2/net in gill nets | 14% | 12" | 0.1 lb | 2025 |
| 9 | Long Lake | A+ | 620 | 182.5/net in gill nets | 2% | 12" | 0.1 lb | 2023 |
| 10 | Traverse Lake | A+ | 10,849 | 23.5/net in gill nets | 23% | 12" | 0.4 lb | 2025 |
| 11 | Red (Upper Red) Lake | A+ | 119,294 | 14.1/net in gill nets | 5% | 11" | 0.3 lb | 2025 |
| 12 | Corabelle Lake | A+ | 106 | 247/net in gill nets | 9% | 12" | 0.1 lb | 2021 |
| 13 | Big Stone Lake | A+ | 11,984 | 199.7/net in gill nets | 18% | 11" | 0.1 lb | 2025 |
| 14 | Temperance Lake | A+ | 166 | 160/net in gill nets | 16% | 12" | 0.2 lb | 2025 |
| 15 | Cottonwood Lake | A+ | 383 | 97.2/net in gill nets | 21% | 12" | 0.2 lb | 2025 |
| 16 | Black Duck Lake | A+ | 1,250 | 56.7/net in gill nets | 12% | 12" | 0.2 lb | 2023 |
| 17 | Big Kandiyohi Lake | A+ | 2,730 | 40.7/net in gill nets | 12% | 12" | 0.2 lb | 2024 |
| 18 | Page Lake | A+ | 375 | 119.5/net in gill nets | 2% | 13" | 0.1 lb | 2023 |
| 19 | Wolf Lake | A+ | 1,460 | 62/net in gill nets | 4% | 12" | 0.1 lb | 2016 |
| 20 | Winnibigoshish Lake | A+ | 56,471 | 9/net in gill nets | 3% | 12" | 0.2 lb | 2025 |
| 21 | Island Lake | A+ | 3,108 | 67.9/net in gill nets | 6% | 11" | 0.1 lb | 2024 |
| 22 | Pickeral Lake | A+ | 588 | 63/net in gill nets | 22% | 12" | 0.3 lb | 2013 |
| 23 | Rainy Lake | A+ | 210,200 | 9.4/net in gill nets | 1% | 12" | 0.3 lb | 2025 |
| 24 | Wakanda Lake | A+ | 1,760 | 68/net in gill nets | 19% | 11" | 0.2 lb | 2024 |
| 25 | Ida Lake | A | 138 | 156/net in gill nets | 26% | 11" | 0.2 lb | 2017 |
Also ranked statewide: Walleye · Northern pike · Muskellunge · Largemouth bass · Smallmouth bass · Crappie · Bluegill
Yellow perch by county: Aitkin · Anoka · Becker · Beltrami · Big Stone · Blue Earth · Carlton · Carver · Cass · Chisago · Clearwater · Cook · Cottonwood · Crow Wing · Douglas · Freeborn · Grant · Hennepin · Hubbard · Isanti · Itasca · Jackson · Kanabec · Kandiyohi · Lake · Le Sueur · Lincoln · Lyon · Mahnomen · Martin · McLeod · Meeker · Morrison · Murray · Nobles · Otter Tail · Pine · Polk · Pope · Ramsey · Rice · Scott · Sherburne · St. Louis · Stearns · Swift · Todd · Wadena · Washington · Wright
Yellow perch 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.