Lakes

Lake information

Get lake specific information including regulations, fish species, stocking reports and lake maps. Try the mobile and desktop versions.

Lake management planning

Lake management plans establish fisheries management goals and objectives for each lake and guide the work fisheries biologists do each year. Plans for Minnesota's 4,500 managed lakes are assessed and updated on a regular basis. Comments are sought each year as plans are updated. Participate and learn more about the fisheries lake management planning process.

Minnesota's largest lakes

With a combined surface area of more than 825,000 acres, Minnesota's 10 largest lakes account for about 40 percent of the annual statewide walleye harvest and make a significant contribution to the $2.4 billion spent each year on fishing in Minnesota. Each of these crown jewels of Minnesota's 10,000 lakes has a specialist assigned to it for annual monitoring and research. 

Lake Superior

Today's major threats to Lake Superior remain unchanged from 70 years ago – too much fishing, impacts from invasive species and habitat degradation. DNR works in the lake's Minnesota waters to minimize and, when possible, eliminate these threats so the North Shore remains a Minnesota crown jewel.

Go fishing on the North Shore and you'll find varieties of trout and salmon unique to this rustically scenic place.

Sentinel lakes

This statewide, collaborative effort monitors and records biological and chemical changes that occur in waters representative of the state's most common lakes. Data collected is being used to develop management approaches that can mitigate or minimize negative impacts caused by residential development and agriculture, aquatic plant removal, invasive species and climate change.

Trout lakes

Most trout lakes are in northeast Minnesota, although there are some as far south as Rochester. Lakes contain either lake trout or stream trout. Anglers pursue trout for their beauty, fight, and taste – not to mention the fact that many trout lakes are amidst some of Minnesota's wildest, most scenic settings.

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