Best Family Fishing Lakes in Wisconsin, Panfish + Public Access

Family-fishing weights panfish presence — bluegill, crappie, perch — together with reasonable access and an average water-quality grade. Kids do best with abundant, easy-to-catch species rather than challenging trophy fishing. Round Lake (A) tops the Wisconsin list.

Family-fishing favors abundance over trophy size. A lake with a deep, productive panfish community gives more first-fish moments than a lake with a few large walleye.

Rank	Lake	County	State	Grade	Clarity	Area	Depth
1	Round Lake	Sawyer	WI	A	21.1 ft	3,294 acres	74 ft
2	Geneva Lake	Walworth	WI	A	21 ft	5,401 acres	135 ft
3	Mission Lake	Shawano	WI	A	17.5 ft	25 acres	44 ft
4	Grindstone Lake	Sawyer	WI	A	17.4 ft	3,176 acres	60 ft
5	Little Round Lake	Sawyer	WI	A	17.3 ft	179 acres	38 ft
6	Osprey Lake	Sawyer	WI	A	16 ft	214 acres	32 ft
7	Blueberry Lake	Sawyer	WI	A	14.8 ft	292 acres	29 ft
8	Green Lake	Green Lake	WI	A	13.5 ft	7,920 acres	236 ft
9	Whitefish Lake	Sawyer	WI	A	13.5 ft	800 acres	105 ft
10	Malone Lake	Shawano	WI	A	13.5 ft	14 acres	31 ft
11	Lac Courte Oreilles Lake	Sawyer	WI	A	12.2 ft	5,139 acres	90 ft
12	Christner Lake	Sawyer	WI	A	12 ft	36 acres	16 ft
13	Big Cedar Lake-North Site-Near West Bend	Washington	WI	A	11.8 ft	937 acres	105 ft
14	Bealeau Lake	Shawano	WI	A	11.5 ft	27 acres	24 ft
15	Big Sand Lake	Burnett	WI	A	11 ft	1,434 acres	55 ft
16	Sams Lake	Shawano	WI	A	11 ft	6 acres	13 ft
17	Koonz Lake	Shawano	WI	A	10.8 ft	20 acres	40 ft
18	Lost Lake	Sawyer	WI	A	10.6 ft	51 acres	13 ft
19	Ashegon Lake	Sawyer	WI	A	10.5 ft	75 acres	56 ft
20	Lake Beulah	Walworth	WI	A	10 ft	812 acres	58 ft
21	Powers Lake	Kenosha	WI	A	10 ft	451 acres	33 ft
22	Sand Lake	Sawyer	WI	A	10 ft	949 acres	50 ft
23	Mole Lake	Forest	WI	A	8.5 ft	77 acres	17 ft
24	Indian Lake	Sawyer	WI	A	6.5 ft	76 acres	9 ft
25	Gaslyn Lake	Burnett	WI	A	4.5 ft	161 acres	12 ft
26	King Lake	Marinette	WI	A	-	30 acres	70 ft
27	Cloud Lake	Forest	WI	A	-	28 acres	25 ft
28	Black Oak Lake	Vilas	WI	B	29 ft	564 acres	85 ft
29	Wheeler Lake	Oconto	WI	B	26 ft	281 acres	35 ft
30	Whitefish Lake	Douglas	WI	B	25 ft	848 acres	102 ft
31	Pine Lake	Waukesha	WI	B	25 ft	711 acres	85 ft
32	Lake Owen	Bayfield	WI	B	24.6 ft	1,250 acres	95 ft
33	Stone Lake	Washburn	WI	B	23 ft	490 acres	49 ft
34	Blue Lake	Oneida	WI	B	23 ft	441 acres	49 ft
35	Maiden Lake	Oconto	WI	B	23 ft	269 acres	52 ft
36	Lee Lake	Oneida	WI	B	22.5 ft	65 acres	44 ft
37	Forest Lake	Vilas	WI	B	22.2 ft	468 acres	60 ft
38	Lake Metonga	Forest	WI	B	22 ft	2,038 acres	79 ft
39	Long Lake	Burnett	WI	B	21.5 ft	222 acres	41 ft
40	Boot Lake	Oconto	WI	B	21.5 ft	230 acres	38 ft
41	Carlin Lake	Vilas	WI	B	21 ft	155 acres	36 ft
42	Sea Lion Lake	Florence	WI	B	21 ft	114 acres	82 ft
43	Hasbrook Lake	Oneida	WI	B	21 ft	307 acres	50 ft
44	Anderson Lake	Vilas	WI	B	20.5 ft	35 acres	63 ft
45	Paya Lake	Oconto	WI	B	20 ft	105 acres	40 ft
46	Big Twin Lake	Langlade	WI	B	20 ft	66 acres	25 ft
47	Middle Mckenzie Lake	Burnett	WI	B	20 ft	527 acres	45 ft
48	Butternut Lake	Forest	WI	B	19.5 ft	1,246 acres	42 ft
49	Alva Lake	Oneida	WI	B	19.5 ft	199 acres	43 ft
50	Lake Buteau	Lincoln	WI	B	19.4 ft	51 acres	50 ft

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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.