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Best cisco (lake herring) lakes in Minnesota

516 Minnesota waters hold cisco (lake herring), 346 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. Pelagic coldwater herring — suspends over deep basins chasing plankton, spawns on late-fall shoals, and shines as a winter ice target.

1. Rainy Lake — 161 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, SaugerWhy #1: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · 5 public access sites
2. Leech Lake — 135 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #2: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 12 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
3. Lake Vermilion — 70 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #3: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 15 public access sites
4. Lac la Croix — 168 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Sauger, Northern PikeWhy #4: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
5. Namakan Lake — 150 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, SaugerWhy #5: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
6. Lake Kabetogama — 75 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, SaugerWhy #6: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 4 public access sites
7. Namakan Lake — 150 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Sauger, Northern PikeWhy #7: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
8. Birch — 30 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #8: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 5 public access sites, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
9. Pokegama Lake — 110 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #9: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 8 public access sites
10. Sand Point Lake — 180 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, SaugerWhy #10: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
11. Dead — 60 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #11: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 4 public access sites
12. Basswood — 111 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #12: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
13. Namakan — 150 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Sauger, Northern PikeWhy #13: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
14. Bowstring — 30 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #14: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
15. Trout — 90 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, BluegillWhy #15: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
16. Crooked — 165 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Sauger, Northern PikeWhy #16: mapped size signal; contours are approximated · no verified access record attached
17. Fall — 30 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #17: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
18. Star — 90 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #18: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
19. Brule — 60 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow PerchWhy #19: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
20. Ottertrack — 110 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #20: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
21. Bass — 70 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #21: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
22. Loon — 75 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Sauger, Northern PikeWhy #22: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
23. Roosevelt — 120 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #23: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
24. Ten Mile — 200 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #24: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
25. Ball Club — 80 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #25: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites

…plus 491 more Minnesota waters holding cisco (lake herring).

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When to fish cisco (lake herring) in Minnesota

• Spring 10–40 ft — Post-ice-out schools roam the upper column over deep water — follow the bait clouds on the graph, not the bank.
• Summer 40–80 ft — Locked below the thermocline, suspended over the deepest basins. Vertical presentations at the school's exact depth or nothing.
• Fall 5–25 ft — The late-fall spawn puts silver schools on shallow gravel shoals and windswept rock — the one time they're everyone's fish.
• Winter 20–60 ft — A premier ice species — suspended schools cruise the basin mid-column. Watch the flasher and chase the marks.

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Cisco (Lake Herring) elsewhere: Ontario · British Columbia · Québec · Michigan · Germany · New York · Saskatchewan · Alberta · Manitoba