Minnesota Lake Depths

Bowfin family

Bowfin

Amia calva · also called dogfish

Native to MinnesotaRecorded in 674 Minnesota lakes
Illustration of a bowfin in side view
AI-generated illustration, not a photograph and not to scale.
Breathes air
Gulps air at the surface into its swim bladder, so it survives murky, low-oxygen water
Out of water
Can live out of water for a considerable time
An old line
The last living member of a family otherwise known only from fossils
Found in
Much of Minnesota, in clear lakes and slow-moving streams
Minnesota record
12 lb 9 oz, 31½ in — Mississippi River, Wabasha County, 2012

Where bowfin have been recorded

674 of the 1,788 Minnesota lakes on this site with fish records list bowfin, across 37 counties. Tap a dot to open that lake’s depth map.

Leech Lake (Main Basin), Cass CountyLake Pepin, Goodhue CountyCass Lake, Beltrami CountyLake Minnetonka, Hennepin CountyGull Lake, Cass CountyBowstring Lake, Itasca CountyPelican Lake, Crow Wing CountyLake Minnewaska, Pope CountyLower Whitefish Lake, Crow Wing CountyDead Lake, Otter Tail CountyLake Bemidji (main lake), Beltrami CountyLake Osakis, Todd CountyNorth Long Lake, Crow Wing CountyBig Sandy Lake, Aitkin CountyPokegama Lake (Main Bay), Itasca CountyWest Battle Lake, Otter Tail CountyGreen Lake, Kandiyohi CountyNorth Lida Lake, Otter Tail CountyRush Lake, Otter Tail CountyTenmile Lake, Cass CountyPike Bay, Cass CountyWoman Lake (main lake), Cass CountyBig Pine Lake, Otter Tail CountyStar Lake, Otter Tail CountyLake Ida, Douglas CountySand Lake, Itasca CountyDeer Lake, Itasca CountyPelican Lake, Otter Tail CountyBall Club Lake, Itasca CountyLake Reno, Pope CountyHeight of Land Lake, Becker CountyBig Lake, Beltrami CountyBoy Lake, Cass CountyRound Lake, Itasca CountyBass Lake, Itasca CountyLake Carlos, Douglas CountyLake Edward, Crow Wing CountyClitherall Lake, Otter Tail CountyLake Plantagenet, Hubbard CountyLake Mary, Douglas CountyWhite Bear Lake, Washington CountyKabekona Lake, Hubbard CountyCut Foot Sioux Lake (Main Bay), Itasca CountyLake Minnewawa, Aitkin CountyBay Lake, Crow Wing CountyNorway Lake, Kandiyohi CountyNatures Lake, Itasca CountyTurtle Lake, Itasca CountySwan Lake (Main Basin), Itasca CountyBig Birch Lake, Todd CountyLittle Pine Lake, Otter Tail CountyFarm Island Lake, Aitkin CountyEast Battle Lake, Otter Tail CountyLong Lake, Hubbard CountyLake Lizzie (north portion), Otter Tail CountyTrout Lake, Itasca CountyCedar Lake, McLeod CountyLake Melissa, Becker CountyKitchi Lake, Beltrami CountyPomme de Terre Lake, Grant CountyLake Le Homme Dieu, Douglas CountyTurtle River Lake, Beltrami CountyCross Lake Reservoir, Crow Wing CountySteamboat Lake, Cass CountyJessie Lake, Itasca CountyMany Point Lake, Becker CountyToad Lake, Becker CountySauk Lake (North Bay), Todd CountyPlatte Lake, Crow Wing CountyClearwater Lake (East), Wright CountyPine Mountain Lake, Cass CountyDiamond Lake, Kandiyohi CountyCannon Lake, Rice CountyTurtle Lake, Beltrami CountyGreen Lake (Main Basin), Chisago CountyWashburn Lake, Cass CountyAndrusia Lake, Beltrami CountyWest Rush Lake, Chisago CountyBuffalo Lake, Wright CountyPortage Lake, Cass CountyLake Washington, Le Sueur CountyPokegama Lake, Pine CountyRoosevelt Lake, Cass CountyClearwater Lake (West), Wright CountyRice Lake, Stearns CountyLittle Boy Lake, Cass CountyMadison Lake, Blue Earth CountyShamineau Lake, Morrison CountyCrystal Lake, Otter Tail CountySplit Hand Lake, Itasca CountyBig Trout Lake, Crow Wing CountyTetonka Lake, Le Sueur CountyStalker Lake, Otter Tail CountyThunder Lake, Cass CountySixmile Lake, Cass CountyLake Blanche, Otter Tail CountySouth Long Lake, Crow Wing CountyLong Lake, Otter Tail CountyMoose Lake, Itasca CountyLake Sallie, Becker CountyPimushe Lake, Beltrami CountyRose Lake, Otter Tail CountyIsland Lake, Becker CountyFloyd Lake, Becker CountyChippewa Lake, Douglas CountyFish Trap Lake, Morrison CountyPrairie Lake, Itasca CountyPokegama Lake (Wendigo), Itasca CountySullivan Lake, Morrison CountySerpent Lake, Crow Wing CountyRound Lake, Becker CountyLake Franklin, Otter Tail CountyPleasant Lake, Cass CountyWolf Lake, Beltrami CountyLake Darling, Douglas CountyFrancis Lake, Meeker CountySugar Lake, Wright CountyBorden Lake, Crow Wing CountyPrairie Lake, Otter Tail CountyBig McDonald Lake, Otter Tail CountyElbow Lake, Becker CountyLeech Lake (Kabekona Bay), Cass CountyGarfield Lake, Hubbard CountyShields Lake, Rice CountyLittle Winnibigoshish Lake, Itasca CountyMedicine Lake, Hennepin CountyCross Lake, Pine CountyLake Andrew, Douglas CountyClearwater Lake, Crow Wing CountyWest Lake Sylvia, Wright CountyLake Ada, Cass CountyUpper Sakatah Lake, Le Sueur CountySylvan Lake, Cass CountyCedar Lake, Rice CountyUpper Mission Lake, Crow Wing CountyFrances Lake, Le Sueur CountyRice Lake, Itasca CountyBelle Lake, Meeker CountyMovil Lake, Beltrami CountyLittle Birch Lake, Todd CountyPickerel Lake, Otter Tail CountyGreen Lake, Isanti CountySouth Center Lake, Chisago CountyMaple Lake, Douglas CountyEsquagamah Lake, Aitkin CountyLake Independence, Hennepin CountyUpper South Long Lake, Crow Wing CountyPrairie Lake, St. Louis CountyGerman Lake, Le Sueur CountyCedar Lake, Wright CountySouth Lida Lake, Otter Tail CountyBroadwater Bay, Cass CountyRice Lake, Itasca CountyInguadona Lake (S. Bay), Cass CountyBlack Water Lake, Cass CountyLake Latoka, Douglas CountyUpper Maple Lake, Wright CountyLong Lake, Otter Tail CountyNorth Center Lake, Chisago CountyPearl Lake, Stearns CountyBaby Lake, Cass CountyHoward Lake, Wright CountyAndrew Lake, Kandiyohi CountyRound Lake, Aitkin CountyRush Lake, Crow Wing CountyBig Sand Lake, Cass CountyThree Island Lake, Beltrami CountyBig Portage Lake (West Bay), Cass CountyLower Mission Lake, Crow Wing CountyLake Emily, Crow Wing CountyGun Lake, Aitkin CountyLobster Lake (East Bay), Douglas CountyWhitefish Lake, Crow Wing CountyWest Leaf Lake, Otter Tail CountyNokay Lake, Crow Wing CountyBig Swan Lake, Meeker CountyLower Hay Lake, Crow Wing CountyOssawinnamakee Lake, Crow Wing CountyMazaska Lake, Rice CountyHill Lake (North Basin), Aitkin CountyLake Minnewashta, Carver CountySybil Lake, Otter Tail CountyEast Lake Sylvia, Wright CountyRabbit Lake (East Portion), Crow Wing CountySmith Lake, Douglas CountyLong Lake, Beltrami CountyLake Irving, Beltrami CountyMiddle Jefferson Lake, Le Sueur CountyWells Lake, Rice CountyAnn Lake, Kanabec CountyWaukenabo Lake, Aitkin CountyEast Jefferson Lake, Le Sueur CountyGrand Lake, Stearns CountyLake Calhoun, Kandiyohi CountyLake Geneva, Douglas CountyBig Pine Lake, Aitkin CountyThird Crow Wing Lake, Hubbard CountyRound Lake, Aitkin CountyRoberds Lake, Rice CountyWabedo Lake (South West Bay), Cass CountyRipple Lake, Aitkin CountyLittle Jessie Lake, Itasca CountyHorseshoe Lake, Stearns CountyLower Trelipe Lake, Cass CountyLeek Lake (Trowbridge), Otter Tail CountyDixon Lake, Itasca CountyLobster Lake (West Bay), Douglas CountyLake George, Cass CountyPleasant Lake, Ramsey CountyDam Lake, Aitkin CountyUpper Hay Lake, Crow Wing CountyWabedo Lake (North East Bay), Cass CountyLower Sucker Lake, Cass CountyWalker Lake, Otter Tail CountyLinwood Lake, Anoka CountyCrooked Lake, Cass CountyWhitefish Lake, Itasca CountyPeltier Lake, Anoka CountySouth Lindstrom Lake, Chisago CountyVillard Lake, Pope CountyRabbit Lake (West Portion), Crow Wing CountyCamp Lake, Crow Wing CountyBig Fish Lake, Stearns CountyBlueberry Lake, Wadena CountyLake Hattie, Cass CountyBello Lake, Itasca CountyLake Marquette, Beltrami CountyGrave Lake, Itasca CountySpirit Lake, Aitkin CountyRed Sand Lake, Crow Wing CountyGorman Lake, Le Sueur CountyGames Lake, Kandiyohi CountyPelican Lake, Pope CountyFirst Crow Wing Lake, Hubbard CountyElm Island Lake, Aitkin CountyNorway Lake, Cass CountyLake Maud, Becker CountyFish Lake, Kanabec CountyEighth Crow Wing Lake, Hubbard CountyWaverly Lake, Wright CountyRoss Lake, Crow Wing CountyBlandin Lake, Itasca CountyLong Lake, Stearns CountyLittle Turtle Lake, Itasca CountyEast Lost Lake, Otter Tail CountyEleventh Crow Wing Lake (Main), Hubbard CountyLittle Turtle Lake, Beltrami CountyBenedict Lake, Hubbard CountyChisago Lake (north portion), Chisago CountyCrooked Lake, Itasca CountyLake Campbell, Beltrami CountySauk Lake (Southwest Bay), Todd CountyEagle Lake, Sherburne CountyBig Lake, Stearns CountyTurtle Lake, Ramsey CountyGoose Lake (South Bay), Chisago CountySibley Lake, Crow Wing CountyDeer Lake, Otter Tail CountyWest Fox Lake, Crow Wing CountyFourth Crow Wing Lake, Hubbard CountyLind Lake, Cass CountyChisago Lake (south portion), Chisago CountyJay Gould Lake, Itasca CountyWest Jefferson Lake, Le Sueur CountyGladstone Lake, Crow Wing CountyLawrence Lake, Itasca CountySection Ten Lake, Aitkin CountyUpper Cullen Lake, Crow Wing CountyLone Lake, Aitkin CountyDora Lake, Itasca CountyCedar Island Lake (Main Bay), Stearns CountyLong Lake, Aitkin CountyPine Lake, Crow Wing CountyMitchell Lake, Crow Wing CountyUpper Gull Lake, Cass CountyUpper Trelipe Lake, Cass CountyHorseshoe Lake, Le Sueur CountyLake Victoria, Douglas CountyScandinavian Lake, Pope CountyBig Spunk Lake, Stearns CountyLizzie Lake, Crow Wing CountyEast Leaf Lake, Otter Tail CountyLake Mina, Douglas CountyWhite Sand Lake, Crow Wing CountyLong Lake, Becker CountyLittle Sand Lake, Cass CountySissabagamah Lake, Aitkin CountyLittle Toad Lake, Becker CountyBriggs Lake, Sherburne CountySouth Stanchfield Lake, Isanti CountyMiddle Leaf Lake, Otter Tail CountyFifth Crow Wing Lake, Hubbard CountyLake Mary, Crow Wing CountyLake John, Wright CountyMiddle Cullen Lake, Crow Wing CountyLong Lake, Todd CountyCut Foot Sioux Lake (East Bay), Itasca CountyEast Vadnais Lake, Ramsey CountyEagle Lake, Carlton CountyMaple Lake, Todd CountyGoodrich Lake, Crow Wing CountyLong Lake, Isanti CountyAnn Lake, Wright CountyBallantyne Lake, Blue Earth CountyCrow Wing Lake, Crow Wing CountyPortage Lake, Aitkin CountyGrave Lake, Cass CountyLake Eunice, Becker CountyHay Lake, Cass CountyStocking Lake, Wadena CountyElk Lake, Sherburne CountyInguadona Lake (N. Bay), Cass CountyCrooked Lake (Main Bay), Crow Wing CountyIsland Lake, Cass CountyWest Sarah Lake, Hennepin CountyPortage Lake, Cass CountyElk Lake, Sherburne CountySwift Lake, Cass CountyGreer Lake, Crow Wing CountyRice Lake, Hennepin CountyLittle Sand Lake, Itasca CountyLittle Pine Lake, Crow Wing CountySwan Lake (West Bay), Itasca CountyEagle Lake, Crow Wing CountyLake Fannie, Isanti CountyIce Cracking Lake, Becker CountyGrove Lake, Pope CountySixth Crow Wing Lake, Hubbard CountyGilchrist Lake, Pope CountyBertha Lake, Crow Wing CountyLittle Bowstring Lake, Itasca CountyRice Lake, Crow Wing CountyLong Lake, Kandiyohi CountyStump Lake, Beltrami CountyChild Lake, Cass CountySylvan Lake, Morrison CountyBlind Lake, Aitkin CountyLower (South) Island Lake, Carlton CountyRoy Lake, Crow Wing CountyOtter Lake, Anoka CountyFish Lake, Chisago CountyFleming Lake, Aitkin CountyNorth Brown's Lake, Stearns CountyFox Lake, Rice CountyAdney Lake, Crow Wing CountyRamsey Lake, Wright CountyClark Lake, Crow Wing CountyHinds Lake, Hubbard CountyJohnson Lake, Itasca CountyLows Lake, Crow Wing CountyTypo Lake, Isanti CountyPiersons Lake, Carver CountyArrowhead Lake, Crow Wing CountyEagle Lake, Hennepin CountyKego Lake, Crow Wing CountyPelican Lake, Stearns CountyLittle Bemidji Lake, Becker CountyLake Brophy, Douglas CountyBig Too Much Lake, Itasca CountyDuck Lake, Blue Earth CountyManuella Lake, Meeker CountyHartley Lake, Itasca CountyLong Lake, Hennepin CountyHand Lake, Cass CountyLittle Sauk Lake, Todd CountyPortage Lake, Crow Wing CountyLong Lake, Cass CountyEleventh Crow Wing Lake (East), Hubbard CountyGoose Lake (North Bay), Chisago CountyEden Lake, Stearns CountyLittle Pelican Lake, Crow Wing CountyLake Francis, Isanti CountyCedar Island Lake (East Lake), Stearns CountyLake Volney, Le Sueur CountyDunbar Lake, Itasca CountyChristmas Lake, Hennepin CountyLittle Chippewa Lake, Douglas CountyMound Lake, Todd CountyHorseshoe Lake, Hubbard CountyPocket Lake, Douglas CountyRock Lake, Cass CountyPine Lake, Cass CountyJack the Horse Lake (South), Itasca CountySabre Lake, Le Sueur CountyParley Lake, Carver CountyMoulton Lake, Aitkin CountySeventh Crow Wing Lake, Hubbard CountyGilstad Lake, Beltrami CountyMaple Lake, Itasca CountyBig Lake, Sherburne CountyMartin Lake, Anoka CountyLower Twin Lake, Wadena CountyCedar Lake, Aitkin CountyOrono Lake, Sherburne CountyLake Margaret, Cass CountyLake Cowdrey, Douglas CountyFive Point Lake, Cass CountyCedar Lake, Morrison CountyHorseshoe Lake, Aitkin CountyNorth Twin Lake, Itasca CountyGreenleaf Lake, Meeker CountyBeauty Lake, Todd CountyEast Fox Lake, Crow Wing CountyFish Lake, Hennepin CountyMiddle Spunk Lake, Stearns CountyRogers Lake, Crow Wing CountyTamarack Lake, Carlton CountyZumbra-Sunny Lake, Carver CountyPine Island Lake, Todd CountyBlue Lake (South Bay), Isanti CountyDaggett Lake, Crow Wing CountyGeorge Lake, Kandiyohi CountyLittle Thunder Lake (West Bay), Cass CountyIsland Lake, Hubbard CountyIda Lake, Wright CountyHatch Lake, Itasca CountyLittle Green Lake (Little Green), Chisago CountyLawrence Lake, Cass CountyShallow Pond Lake, Itasca CountyNinth Crow Wing Lake, Hubbard CountyLake Winona (South Bay), Winona CountyClear Lake, Crow Wing CountyHorseshoe Lake, Chisago CountySkogman Lake, Isanti CountyNisswa Lake, Crow Wing CountyPleasant Lake, Stearns CountyBecker Lake, Stearns CountyBone Lake, Washington CountyComfort Lake, Chisago CountySecond Crow Wing Lake, Hubbard CountyThunder Lake, Todd CountyLake Louise, Douglas CountyLittle Floyd Lake, Becker CountyBass Lake, Wright CountyUpper Twin Lake, Hubbard CountyLake Johanna, Ramsey CountyFrontenac Lake, Hubbard CountyGrant Lake, Beltrami CountyPillager Lake, Cass CountyClamshell Lake, Crow Wing CountyEast Sarah Lake, Hennepin CountyWestport Lake, Pope CountyLower Prairie Lake, Itasca CountyWidow Lake, Cass CountyLake Phalen, Ramsey CountyKings Lake, Stearns CountyLake Mary, Wright CountyWelch Lake, Cass CountySpearhead Lake, Hubbard CountyLouisa Lake, Wright CountyLittle Hubert Lake, Crow Wing CountyEast Lake, Itasca CountyWillie Lake, Meeker CountyEmma Lake, Wright CountyEagle Lake, Wright CountyLake Erie, Meeker CountyIsland Lake, Cass CountyGoodners Lake, Stearns CountyLimestone Lake, Wright CountyJail Lake, Crow Wing CountyJohnson Lake, Becker CountyIsland Lake, Crow Wing CountyGreen Prairie Fish Lake, Morrison CountyBowen Lake, Cass CountyKroon Lake, Chisago CountySauer Lake, Becker CountyLower Spunk Lake, Stearns CountyLewis Lake, Kanabec CountyCedar Lake, Itasca CountySnaptail Lake, Itasca CountyBig Portage Lake (East Bay), Cass CountyRock Lake, Wright CountyDean Lake, Wright CountyTenth Crow Wing Lake, Hubbard CountyPoint Lake, Kandiyohi CountyCarnelian Lake, Stearns CountyDeer Lake, Wright CountyCoal Lake, Todd CountyBoedigheimer Lake, Otter Tail CountyRays Lake, Le Sueur CountyBall Bluff Lake, Aitkin CountyKid Lake, Cass CountyLong Lake, Meeker CountySouth Twin Lake, Itasca CountyMill Lake, Todd CountySteiger Lake, Carver CountyMayo Lake, Crow Wing CountyWassermann Lake, Carver CountyHanks Lake, Crow Wing CountyCedar Lake, Hennepin CountyLady Lake, Todd CountyCedar Lake, Wright CountyDutch Lake, Wright CountyConstance Lake, Wright CountyLittle Swan Lake, Todd CountyLake Mitchell, Sherburne CountyRush Lake, Sherburne CountyVails Lake, Stearns CountyTripp Lake, Hubbard CountyNorth Stanchfield Lake, Isanti CountyMill Pond, Becker CountyBetty Lake, Meeker CountyAcorn Lake, Becker CountyLong Lake, Stearns CountyJulia Lake, Sherburne CountyElla Lake, Kandiyohi CountyLittle Stanchfield Lake, Isanti CountyLittle Jay Gould Lake, Itasca CountyLake Marie, Stearns CountyEast Auburn Lake, Carver CountyPaquet Lake, Cass CountyWest Auburn Lake, Carver CountyCharlotte Lake, Todd CountyHorseshoe Lake, Itasca CountyNorth Lindstrom Lake, Chisago CountyJack Lake, Cass CountyLaCroix Lake, Itasca CountyPeavy Lake, Morrison CountyLittle Bass Lake, Cass CountyHoff Lake, Meeker CountyRay Lake, Cass CountyLake Arvilla, Meeker CountyStahl's Lake, McLeod CountyLittle Spring Lake, Itasca CountyHill Lake (South Basin), Aitkin CountyRound Lake, Morrison CountyFlorence Lake, Isanti CountyCooper Lake, Cass CountyMoose Lake, Beltrami CountyBeuber Lake, Cass CountyLake Caroline, Wright CountyCedar Island Lake (Koetter Lake), Stearns CountyMary Lake, Todd CountyDeep Portage Lake, Cass CountyMoose Lake, Todd CountyLong Lake, Morrison CountyHale Lake, Itasca CountySt. Anna Lake, Stearns CountySmokey Hollow Lake, Crow Wing CountyUpper Twin Lake, Hennepin CountyLeavitt Lake, Cass CountyGuernsey Lake, Todd CountyBass Lake, Crow Wing CountyHorseshoe Lake, Todd CountyClear Lake, Stearns CountyTurtle Lake, Todd CountyJuergens Lake, Todd CountyTrout Lake, Crow Wing CountyTown Line Lake, Aitkin CountyPitts Lake, Stearns CountyUpper (North) Island Lake, Carlton CountyMitten Lake, Cass CountyLake of the Isles, Hennepin CountyCedar Lake, Stearns CountyLinneman Lake, Stearns CountyPine Lake, Stearns CountyOtter Lake, Stearns CountyUnion Lake, Douglas CountySchutz Lake, Carver CountyKalla Lake, Stearns CountyMow Lake, Hubbard CountySlauson Lake, Itasca CountyLake Virginia, Carver CountyPickerel Lake, Dakota CountyCross Lake, Carlton CountyLong Lake, Todd CountyEast Twin Lake, Anoka CountyJack the Horse Lake (North), Itasca CountyCook Lake, Douglas CountyStevens Lake, Cass CountyO'Brien Lake (Southwest Bay), Crow Wing CountyBlack Lake, Wright CountyLake Maria, Stearns CountyWatab Lake, Stearns CountyDog Lake, Wright CountyKreigle Lake, Stearns CountyCrooked Lake (Sugar Bay), Crow Wing CountyFish Lake, Wright CountyBass Lake, Todd CountyMink Lake, Wright CountyLake Union, Wright CountyLong Lake, Stearns CountyGrass Lake, Wright CountyBoot Lake, Anoka CountyBaxter Lake, Isanti CountyBlueberry Lake, Becker CountyO'Brien Lake (Northeast Bay), Crow Wing CountyMoose Lake, Wright CountyLake Stony, Douglas CountyBuck Lake, Becker CountyWinona Lake (North Bay), Winona CountyLundeen Lake, Itasca CountySylvia Lake, Stearns CountyThompson Lake, Sherburne CountySilver Lake, Wright CountySpurzem Lake, Hennepin CountyScott Lake, Wright CountyLake Rebecca, Dakota CountyBirds Eye Lake, Itasca CountyDower Lake, Todd CountyJune Lake, Crow Wing CountyElkhorn Lake, Kandiyohi CountyLove Lake, Crow Wing CountyLittle Too Much Lake, Itasca CountyFish Lake, Le Sueur CountyCedar Island Lake (Mud Lake), Stearns CountyCrooked Lake, Stearns CountyHenderson Lake, Kandiyohi CountyIsland Lake, Anoka CountyCrosby Lake, Ramsey CountyRoemhildts Lake, Le Sueur CountyMaria Lake, Stearns CountySullivan Lake, Wright CountyNagel Lake, Hubbard CountyLight Foot Lake, Wright CountyMuskrat Lake, Becker CountyLong Lake, Stearns CountyIsland Lake, Itasca CountyWright Lake, Otter Tail CountyPortage Lake, Itasca CountyCameron Lake, Itasca CountyDudley Lake, Rice CountySucker Lake, Ramsey CountyPennington Mine, Crow Wing CountyShipman Lake, Becker CountyKoop Lake, Stearns CountyNixon Lake, Wright CountyMiddle Twin Lake, Hennepin CountyHay Lake, Itasca CountyLittle Rice Lake, Stearns CountyMud Lake, Wright CountyDeep Lake, Stearns CountyLake Hiawatha, Hennepin CountyLake Pepin, Todd CountyLittle Swan Lake, Meeker CountyNorth Little Long Lake, Hennepin CountyGoose Lake, Wright CountyFuller Lake, Todd CountyHennessy Lake, Todd CountyRabour Lake, Chisago CountyElms Lake, Isanti CountySheldon Lake, Wright CountyNorth Twin Lake, Wright CountyDinner Pail Lake, Itasca CountyMandall Lake, Chisago CountyLottie Lake, Douglas CountyMountain Lake, Todd CountySouth Twin Lake, Wright CountySmith Lake, Itasca CountyHam Lake, Morrison CountyAlice Lake, Itasca CountyTwin Lake, Sherburne CountyLittle Ball Bluff Lake, Aitkin CountyForest Lake, Itasca CountyLittle Rock Lake, Wright CountyHafften Lake, Hennepin CountyLittle Comfort Lake, Chisago CountyLittle Cedar Lake, Wright CountyLittle Eagle Lake, Wright CountyLittle Woman Lake, Cass CountyHalfmoon Lake, Hennepin CountyLower Twin Lake, Hennepin CountyBass Lake, Aitkin CountyBlue Lake (North Bay), Isanti CountyLittle Thunder Lake (East Bay), Cass CountyDallas Lake, Stearns CountyFeldges Lake, Stearns CountyFadden Lake, Wright CountySt. Joe Lake, Carver CountySouth Little Long Lake, Hennepin CountyHulbert Lake, Stearns CountyHinz Lake, Stearns CountyBrownie Lake, Hennepin CountyPeavey Lake, Hennepin County

Recorded here Other lakes with fish records

How we know

  • 673lakes where a DNR fisheries survey caught them
  • 1lakes the DNR has stocked with this fish; 1 of them are listed on stocking alone, because these fish keep breeding once established

A lake can appear in more than one line. A lake that isn’t listed may still have them: records exist only where someone caught, netted or stocked them.

Inland lakes on this list run from 9 to 102,081 acres (median 320) and from 4 to 300 ft deep (median 40 ft).

How many turn up in DNR surveys

Minnesota DNR lake surveys use standard gear: gill nets set offshore for 24 hours (the main gear for walleye, northern pike, yellow perch, cisco, whitefish and trout), trap nets set near shore (the main gear for bluegill, crappie and bullheads), and on some lakes electrofishing, most often for bass. The DNR reports each gear separately, as fish per net set. These rates come from the newest standard survey of each lake on this site, 1959–2025 — a measure of how many fish a lake holds, not how many an angler will catch.

Found in
599 of 1604 lakes surveyed this way
Typical rate
0.44 per trap net where found
Highest
4.8 per trap net
Method
fish per trap net set

“Typical” is the median across the lakes where the survey caught at least one. Each gear catches different fish, so the rates are not added together. In gill nets it turned up in 280 lakes at a typical 0.33 per gill net set. A single survey is a snapshot of one season.

Highest survey rates on this site

  1. Lake Arvilla, Meeker 2018 4.8
  2. Willie Lake, Meeker 2016 4.6
  3. Hand Lake, Cass 2019 3.7
  4. Tetonka Lake, Le Sueur 2023 3.6
  5. Benedict Lake, Hubbard 2021 3.6
  6. Cedar Lake, McLeod 2018 3.4
  7. Garfield Lake, Hubbard 2025 3.2
  8. Gorman Lake, Le Sueur 2025 3.2
  9. Buck Lake, Becker 1987 3.1
  10. Tripp Lake, Hubbard 2005 2.9

Fish per trap net set, with survey year. Survey effort and season differ between lakes.

Often found with

Share of these lakes that also list each fish.

How to recognize it

A long, tube-shaped olive-green fish with a scaleless head, two short barbels on the face and a dorsal fin that runs most of the length of the back. Males have a black spot ringed in green at the base of the tail.

Up close

Illustration of a bowfin's head from below and to the side, showing the bony gular plate between the halves of the lower jaw and short tubular nostrils.
Bowfin: a bony plate (the gular plate) under the lower jaw, and short tube-shaped nostrils.

AI-generated close-ups, not photographs, drawn from the cited descriptions. They show what to look for; they are not a substitute for an expert identification (provenance).

Life in a Minnesota lake

The bowfin is a medium-sized fish of clear lakes and slow streams. It rises to gulp air every few minutes and also breathes through its gills, which lets it live in water too poor in oxygen for most fish.

Males turn dark green while spawning and guarding their young. The DNR tells of a farmer who plowed up a live bowfin from moist soil in a field that had flooded a few weeks earlier.

Source: the sources below.

Rules and eating

Check the rules before you keep fish. Each lake page shows the regulations that apply there, and the Minnesota DNR fishing regulations page is the official source. Before eating fish from a particular lake, check the Minnesota Department of Health’s fish consumption guidance.

All 674 lakes with bowfin

Show every lake, by county

Aitkin County 29

Ball Bluff Lake, Bass Lake, Big Pine Lake, Big Sandy Lake, Blind Lake, Cedar Lake, Dam Lake, Elm Island Lake, Esquagamah Lake, Farm Island Lake, Fleming Lake, Gun Lake, Hill Lake (North Basin), Hill Lake (South Basin), Horseshoe Lake, Lake Minnewawa, Little Ball Bluff Lake, Lone Lake, Long Lake, Moulton Lake, Portage Lake, Ripple Lake, Round Lake, Round Lake, Section Ten Lake, Sissabagamah Lake, Spirit Lake, Town Line Lake, Waukenabo Lake

Anoka County 7

Boot Lake, East Twin Lake, Island Lake, Linwood Lake, Martin Lake, Otter Lake, Peltier Lake

Becker County 24

Acorn Lake, Blueberry Lake, Buck Lake, Elbow Lake, Floyd Lake, Height of Land Lake, Ice Cracking Lake, Island Lake, Johnson Lake, Lake Eunice, Lake Maud, Lake Melissa, Lake Sallie, Little Bemidji Lake, Little Floyd Lake, Little Toad Lake, Long Lake, Many Point Lake, Mill Pond, Muskrat Lake, Round Lake, Sauer Lake, Shipman Lake, Toad Lake

Beltrami County 20

Andrusia Lake, Big Lake, Cass Lake, Gilstad Lake, Grant Lake, Kitchi Lake, Lake Bemidji (main lake), Lake Campbell, Lake Irving, Lake Marquette, Little Turtle Lake, Long Lake, Moose Lake, Movil Lake, Pimushe Lake, Stump Lake, Three Island Lake, Turtle Lake, Turtle River Lake, Wolf Lake

Blue Earth County 3

Ballantyne Lake, Duck Lake, Madison Lake

Carlton County 5

Cross Lake, Eagle Lake, Lower (South) Island Lake, Tamarack Lake, Upper (North) Island Lake

Carver County 11

East Auburn Lake, Lake Minnewashta, Lake Virginia, Parley Lake, Piersons Lake, Schutz Lake, St. Joe Lake, Steiger Lake, Wassermann Lake, West Auburn Lake, Zumbra-Sunny Lake

Cass County 70

Baby Lake, Beuber Lake, Big Portage Lake (East Bay), Big Portage Lake (West Bay), Big Sand Lake, Black Water Lake, Bowen Lake, Boy Lake, Broadwater Bay, Child Lake, Cooper Lake, Crooked Lake, Deep Portage Lake, Five Point Lake, Grave Lake, Gull Lake, Hand Lake, Hay Lake, Inguadona Lake (N. Bay), Inguadona Lake (S. Bay), Island Lake, Island Lake, Jack Lake, Kid Lake, Lake Ada, Lake George, Lake Hattie, Lake Margaret, Lawrence Lake, Leavitt Lake, Leech Lake (Kabekona Bay), Leech Lake (Main Basin), Lind Lake, Little Bass Lake, Little Boy Lake, Little Sand Lake, Little Thunder Lake (East Bay), Little Thunder Lake (West Bay), Little Woman Lake, Long Lake, Lower Sucker Lake, Lower Trelipe Lake, Mitten Lake, Norway Lake, Paquet Lake, Pike Bay, Pillager Lake, Pine Lake, Pine Mountain Lake, Pleasant Lake, Portage Lake, Portage Lake, Ray Lake, Rock Lake, Roosevelt Lake, Sixmile Lake, Steamboat Lake, Stevens Lake, Swift Lake, Sylvan Lake, Tenmile Lake, Thunder Lake, Upper Gull Lake, Upper Trelipe Lake, Wabedo Lake (North East Bay), Wabedo Lake (South West Bay), Washburn Lake, Welch Lake, Widow Lake, Woman Lake (main lake)

Chisago County 18

Chisago Lake (north portion), Chisago Lake (south portion), Comfort Lake, Fish Lake, Goose Lake (North Bay), Goose Lake (South Bay), Green Lake (Main Basin), Horseshoe Lake, Kroon Lake, Little Comfort Lake, Little Green Lake (Little Green), Mandall Lake, North Center Lake, North Lindstrom Lake, Rabour Lake, South Center Lake, South Lindstrom Lake, West Rush Lake

Crow Wing County 73

Adney Lake, Arrowhead Lake, Bass Lake, Bay Lake, Bertha Lake, Big Trout Lake, Borden Lake, Camp Lake, Clamshell Lake, Clark Lake, Clear Lake, Clearwater Lake, Crooked Lake (Main Bay), Crooked Lake (Sugar Bay), Cross Lake Reservoir, Crow Wing Lake, Daggett Lake, Eagle Lake, East Fox Lake, Gladstone Lake, Goodrich Lake, Greer Lake, Hanks Lake, Island Lake, Jail Lake, June Lake, Kego Lake, Lake Edward, Lake Emily, Lake Mary, Little Hubert Lake, Little Pelican Lake, Little Pine Lake, Lizzie Lake, Love Lake, Lower Hay Lake, Lower Mission Lake, Lower Whitefish Lake, Lows Lake, Mayo Lake, Middle Cullen Lake, Mitchell Lake, Nisswa Lake, Nokay Lake, North Long Lake, O'Brien Lake (Northeast Bay), O'Brien Lake (Southwest Bay), Ossawinnamakee Lake, Pelican Lake, Pennington Mine, Pine Lake, Platte Lake, Portage Lake, Rabbit Lake (East Portion), Rabbit Lake (West Portion), Red Sand Lake, Rice Lake, Rogers Lake, Ross Lake, Roy Lake, Rush Lake, Serpent Lake, Sibley Lake, Smokey Hollow Lake, South Long Lake, Trout Lake, Upper Cullen Lake, Upper Hay Lake, Upper Mission Lake, Upper South Long Lake, West Fox Lake, White Sand Lake, Whitefish Lake

Dakota County 2

Lake Rebecca, Pickerel Lake

Douglas County 24

Chippewa Lake, Cook Lake, Lake Andrew, Lake Brophy, Lake Carlos, Lake Cowdrey, Lake Darling, Lake Geneva, Lake Ida, Lake Latoka, Lake Le Homme Dieu, Lake Louise, Lake Mary, Lake Mina, Lake Stony, Lake Victoria, Little Chippewa Lake, Lobster Lake (East Bay), Lobster Lake (West Bay), Lottie Lake, Maple Lake, Pocket Lake, Smith Lake, Union Lake

Goodhue County 1

Lake Pepin

Grant County 1

Pomme de Terre Lake

Hennepin County 23

Brownie Lake, Cedar Lake, Christmas Lake, Eagle Lake, East Sarah Lake, Fish Lake, Hafften Lake, Halfmoon Lake, Lake Hiawatha, Lake Independence, Lake Minnetonka, Lake of the Isles, Long Lake, Lower Twin Lake, Medicine Lake, Middle Twin Lake, North Little Long Lake, Peavey Lake, Rice Lake, South Little Long Lake, Spurzem Lake, Upper Twin Lake, West Sarah Lake

Hubbard County 26

Benedict Lake, Eighth Crow Wing Lake, Eleventh Crow Wing Lake (East), Eleventh Crow Wing Lake (Main), Fifth Crow Wing Lake, First Crow Wing Lake, Fourth Crow Wing Lake, Frontenac Lake, Garfield Lake, Hinds Lake, Horseshoe Lake, Island Lake, Kabekona Lake, Lake Plantagenet, Long Lake, Mow Lake, Nagel Lake, Ninth Crow Wing Lake, Second Crow Wing Lake, Seventh Crow Wing Lake, Sixth Crow Wing Lake, Spearhead Lake, Tenth Crow Wing Lake, Third Crow Wing Lake, Tripp Lake, Upper Twin Lake

Isanti County 14

Baxter Lake, Blue Lake (North Bay), Blue Lake (South Bay), Elms Lake, Florence Lake, Green Lake, Lake Fannie, Lake Francis, Little Stanchfield Lake, Long Lake, North Stanchfield Lake, Skogman Lake, South Stanchfield Lake, Typo Lake

Itasca County 67

Alice Lake, Ball Club Lake, Bass Lake, Bello Lake, Big Too Much Lake, Birds Eye Lake, Blandin Lake, Bowstring Lake, Cameron Lake, Cedar Lake, Crooked Lake, Cut Foot Sioux Lake (East Bay), Cut Foot Sioux Lake (Main Bay), Deer Lake, Dinner Pail Lake, Dixon Lake, Dora Lake, Dunbar Lake, East Lake, Forest Lake, Grave Lake, Hale Lake, Hartley Lake, Hatch Lake, Hay Lake, Horseshoe Lake, Island Lake, Jack the Horse Lake (North), Jack the Horse Lake (South), Jay Gould Lake, Jessie Lake, Johnson Lake, LaCroix Lake, Lawrence Lake, Little Bowstring Lake, Little Jay Gould Lake, Little Jessie Lake, Little Sand Lake, Little Spring Lake, Little Too Much Lake, Little Turtle Lake, Little Winnibigoshish Lake, Lower Prairie Lake, Lundeen Lake, Maple Lake, Moose Lake, Natures Lake, North Twin Lake, Pokegama Lake (Main Bay), Pokegama Lake (Wendigo), Portage Lake, Prairie Lake, Rice Lake, Rice Lake, Round Lake, Sand Lake, Shallow Pond Lake, Slauson Lake, Smith Lake, Snaptail Lake, South Twin Lake, Split Hand Lake, Swan Lake (Main Basin), Swan Lake (West Bay), Trout Lake, Turtle Lake, Whitefish Lake

Kanabec County 3

Ann Lake, Fish Lake, Lewis Lake

Kandiyohi County 12

Andrew Lake, Diamond Lake, Elkhorn Lake, Ella Lake, Games Lake, George Lake, Green Lake, Henderson Lake, Lake Calhoun, Long Lake, Norway Lake, Point Lake

Le Sueur County 15

East Jefferson Lake, Fish Lake, Frances Lake, German Lake, Gorman Lake, Horseshoe Lake, Lake Volney, Lake Washington, Middle Jefferson Lake, Rays Lake, Roemhildts Lake, Sabre Lake, Tetonka Lake, Upper Sakatah Lake, West Jefferson Lake

McLeod County 2

Cedar Lake, Stahl's Lake

Meeker County 12

Belle Lake, Betty Lake, Big Swan Lake, Francis Lake, Greenleaf Lake, Hoff Lake, Lake Arvilla, Lake Erie, Little Swan Lake, Long Lake, Manuella Lake, Willie Lake

Morrison County 10

Cedar Lake, Fish Trap Lake, Green Prairie Fish Lake, Ham Lake, Long Lake, Peavy Lake, Round Lake, Shamineau Lake, Sullivan Lake, Sylvan Lake

Otter Tail County 32

Big McDonald Lake, Big Pine Lake, Boedigheimer Lake, Clitherall Lake, Crystal Lake, Dead Lake, Deer Lake, East Battle Lake, East Leaf Lake, East Lost Lake, Lake Blanche, Lake Franklin, Lake Lizzie (north portion), Leek Lake (Trowbridge), Little Pine Lake, Long Lake, Long Lake, Middle Leaf Lake, North Lida Lake, Pelican Lake, Pickerel Lake, Prairie Lake, Rose Lake, Rush Lake, South Lida Lake, Stalker Lake, Star Lake, Sybil Lake, Walker Lake, West Battle Lake, West Leaf Lake, Wright Lake

Pine County 2

Cross Lake, Pokegama Lake

Pope County 8

Gilchrist Lake, Grove Lake, Lake Minnewaska, Lake Reno, Pelican Lake, Scandinavian Lake, Villard Lake, Westport Lake

Ramsey County 7

Crosby Lake, East Vadnais Lake, Lake Johanna, Lake Phalen, Pleasant Lake, Sucker Lake, Turtle Lake

Rice County 8

Cannon Lake, Cedar Lake, Dudley Lake, Fox Lake, Mazaska Lake, Roberds Lake, Shields Lake, Wells Lake

Sherburne County 11

Big Lake, Briggs Lake, Eagle Lake, Elk Lake, Elk Lake, Julia Lake, Lake Mitchell, Orono Lake, Rush Lake, Thompson Lake, Twin Lake

St. Louis County 1

Prairie Lake

Stearns County 48

Becker Lake, Big Fish Lake, Big Lake, Big Spunk Lake, Carnelian Lake, Cedar Island Lake (East Lake), Cedar Island Lake (Koetter Lake), Cedar Island Lake (Main Bay), Cedar Island Lake (Mud Lake), Cedar Lake, Clear Lake, Crooked Lake, Dallas Lake, Deep Lake, Eden Lake, Feldges Lake, Goodners Lake, Grand Lake, Hinz Lake, Horseshoe Lake, Hulbert Lake, Kalla Lake, Kings Lake, Koop Lake, Kreigle Lake, Lake Maria, Lake Marie, Linneman Lake, Little Rice Lake, Long Lake, Long Lake, Long Lake, Long Lake, Lower Spunk Lake, Maria Lake, Middle Spunk Lake, North Brown's Lake, Otter Lake, Pearl Lake, Pelican Lake, Pine Lake, Pitts Lake, Pleasant Lake, Rice Lake, St. Anna Lake, Sylvia Lake, Vails Lake, Watab Lake

Todd County 30

Bass Lake, Beauty Lake, Big Birch Lake, Charlotte Lake, Coal Lake, Dower Lake, Fuller Lake, Guernsey Lake, Hennessy Lake, Horseshoe Lake, Juergens Lake, Lady Lake, Lake Osakis, Lake Pepin, Little Birch Lake, Little Sauk Lake, Little Swan Lake, Long Lake, Long Lake, Maple Lake, Mary Lake, Mill Lake, Moose Lake, Mound Lake, Mountain Lake, Pine Island Lake, Sauk Lake (North Bay), Sauk Lake (Southwest Bay), Thunder Lake, Turtle Lake

Wadena County 3

Blueberry Lake, Lower Twin Lake, Stocking Lake

Washington County 2

Bone Lake, White Bear Lake

Winona County 2

Lake Winona (South Bay), Winona Lake (North Bay)

Wright County 48

Ann Lake, Bass Lake, Black Lake, Buffalo Lake, Cedar Lake, Cedar Lake, Clearwater Lake (East), Clearwater Lake (West), Constance Lake, Dean Lake, Deer Lake, Dog Lake, Dutch Lake, Eagle Lake, East Lake Sylvia, Emma Lake, Fadden Lake, Fish Lake, Goose Lake, Grass Lake, Howard Lake, Ida Lake, Lake Caroline, Lake John, Lake Mary, Lake Union, Light Foot Lake, Limestone Lake, Little Cedar Lake, Little Eagle Lake, Little Rock Lake, Louisa Lake, Mink Lake, Moose Lake, Mud Lake, Nixon Lake, North Twin Lake, Ramsey Lake, Rock Lake, Scott Lake, Sheldon Lake, Silver Lake, South Twin Lake, Sugar Lake, Sullivan Lake, Upper Maple Lake, Waverly Lake, West Lake Sylvia

Sources

← All fish of Minnesota