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Best lake sturgeon lakes in Minnesota

19 Minnesota waters hold lake sturgeon, 19 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. A living fossil and the biggest fish in the north country — a bottom-feeding giant managed as a trophy, mostly catch-and-release fishery.

1. Big Stone Lake — 15 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
2. Lake Kabetogama — 75 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Sauger
3. Namakan Lake — 150 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Sauger, Northern Pike
4. Otter Tail Lake — 120 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
5. Sand Point Lake — 180 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Sauger
6. Big Pine — 70 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
7. Crane Lake — 80 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Sauger
8. Rush — 65 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
9. Height of Land — 20 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
10. Cross — 30 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
11. Detroit Lake — 80 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
12. White Earth — 110 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
13. Many Point — 90 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
14. Little Pine — 70 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
15. Round — 60 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
16. East Lost — 30 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
17. Moosehead — 15 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
18. Deer — 25 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
19. Wright — 30 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike

When to fish lake sturgeon in Minnesota

• Spring 3–15 ft — Spawning runs stack fish below rapids, dam faces and river mouths — check the regs, many runs are closed water.
• Summer 15–40 ft — Soft-bottom flats and holes near current — sturgeon vacuum larvae and snails off the mud, mostly after dark.
• Fall 15–45 ft — The prime rod-and-reel season — fish feed hard on deep mud and channel bends before winter.
• Winter 20–60 ft — Fish pod up over deep mud basins — the famous Winnebago spear season happens over exactly this pattern.

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 brook 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