Best Family Fishing Lakes in Wisconsin, Panfish + Public Access

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

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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.