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Best brook trout lakes in Minnesota

33 Minnesota waters hold brook trout, 33 mapped with real state-agency depth surveys. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. The native char of cold ponds and streams. Needs the coldest, cleanest water in the lake.

1. Kabekona — 130 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
2. Greenwood — 100 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
3. Pike — 40 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
4. Alton — 70 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
5. Birch — 60 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
6. Ash — 25 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
7. High — 60 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Bluegill
8. Devilfish — 40 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
9. Leavitt — 60 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
10. Ball Club — 25 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Bluegill
11. Grindstone — 150 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
12. Hanging Horn — 80 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
13. LaSalle — 210 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
14. Huntington Mine — 220 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
15. Whitefish — 40 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Bluegill
16. Trout — 70 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Bluegill
17. Sagamore Mine — 200 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
18. Larson — 170 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Bluegill
19. Pancake — 30 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
20. Sabin (Embarrass Mine) — 450 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Bluegill
21. East — 15 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
22. Ahsub — 70 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
23. Dry — 40 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Bluegill
24. Divide — 20 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Bluegill
25. Chester — 35 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Bluegill

…plus 8 more Minnesota waters holding brook trout.

When to fish brook trout in Minnesota

• Spring 2–15 ft — Ice-out scatters brookies along shorelines and inflow mouths, feeding on the first insect activity.
• Summer 10–30 ft — Brookies hold where the coldest water is — spring holes, deep basin edges and inflow plumes.
• Fall 2–15 ft — Fall is the show: brilliant spawning colors on gravel shoals and inflow gravel.
• Winter 3–20 ft — A classic ice-fishing target — active all winter in shallow to mid-depth water.

Also in Minnesota: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best white bass lakes · best sauger lakes · best northern pike lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best muskellunge lakes · best yellow perch lakes · best flathead catfish lakes · best freshwater drum lakes · best common carp lakes · best lake trout lakes · best brown trout lakes · best lake whitefish lakes · best burbot lakes · best rock bass lakes · best cisco (lake herring) lakes · best splake lakes · best pumpkinseed lakes · best brown bullhead lakes · best lake sturgeon lakes

Brook Trout elsewhere: Québec · Michigan · New Hampshire · Montana · Wyoming · Massachusetts · Washington · Utah · Colorado · New York · Nevada · Maine