Updated August 2026

Best Ice Fishing Lakes in Minnesota, Wisconsin & Michigan

Top 50 ice fishing lakes across Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan (balanced across 3 states), ranked by water-quality readings and game-fish diversity. Readings are planning proof for clarity and nutrients under the ice, not ice-thickness data. Access data is verified for Minnesota.

Walleye, crappie, perch, bluegill, pike or panfish
No known access restrictions
10+ ft deep

We do not measure ice

We do not measure ice. Agency minimums (for example Minnesota DNR guidance on clear ice) are not lake-specific readings and are not a safety clearance. Check local ice reports before you go. Ice thickness guidelines

Rank	Lake	County	State	Depth	Species	Ice-Out
1	Broadwater Bay Lake	Cass	MN	54 ft	22	Apr 24
2	Green Lake	Green Lake	WI	236 ft	7	-
3	Crooked Lake	Emmet	MI	50 ft	26	-
4	Spider (Ne Lake	Hubbard	MN	96 ft	13	May 2
5	Geneva Lake	Walworth	WI	135 ft	6	-
6	Houghton Lake	Roscommon	MI	21 ft	6	-
7	Little Sand Lake	Hubbard	MN	80 ft	17	Apr 18
8	Lac Courte Oreilles Lake	Sawyer	WI	90 ft	6	-
9	Clear Lake	Jackson	MI	34 ft	17	-
10	Hattie Lake	Hubbard	MN	39 ft	15	-
11	Round Lake	Sawyer	WI	74 ft	6	-
12	Lime Lake	Benzie	MI	25 ft	15	-
13	Shallow Lake	Hubbard	MN	10 ft	13	-
14	Grindstone Lake	Sawyer	WI	60 ft	6	-
15	Round Lake	Lenawee	MI	67 ft	25	-
16	Pierz Lake	Morrison	MN	34 ft	16	Apr 15
17	Big Sand Lake	Burnett	WI	55 ft	5	-
18	Au Sable Lake	Ogemaw	MI	52 ft	11	-
19	Moon Lake	Douglas	MN	38 ft	12	-
20	Sand Lake	Sawyer	WI	50 ft	6	-
21	Sawyer Lake	Dickinson	MI	20 ft	8	-
22	Steamboat Bay Lake	Cass	MN	150 ft	18	Apr 28
23	Big Cedar Lake-North Site-Near West Bend	Washington	WI	105 ft	4	-
24	Gun Lake	Mason	MI	22 ft	6	-
25	Kabekona Bay Lake	Cass	MN	150 ft	18	Apr 28
26	Whitefish Lake	Sawyer	WI	105 ft	7	-
27	Rennie Lake	Grand Traverse	MI	27 ft	9	-
28	Cass Lake	Beltrami	MN	120 ft	21	Apr 24
29	Powers Lake	Kenosha	WI	33 ft	5	-
30	Lake George	Clare	MI	25 ft	8	-
31	Otter Tail Lake	Otter Tail	MN	120 ft	17	Apr 16
32	Blueberry Lake	Sawyer	WI	29 ft	5	-
33	Sugarloaf Lake	Washtenaw	MI	10 ft	2	-
34	Gull Lake	Cass	MN	80 ft	22	Apr 21
35	Osprey Lake	Sawyer	WI	32 ft	6	-
36	Ore Lake	Livingston	MI	81 ft	14	-
37	Pelican Lake	Crow Wing	MN	104 ft	17	Apr 19
38	Little Round Lake	Sawyer	WI	38 ft	6	-
39	Derby Lake	Montcalm	MI	87 ft	12	-
40	Minnewaska Lake	Pope	MN	32 ft	21	Apr 15
41	Mole Lake	Forest	WI	17 ft	4	-
42	Eagle Lake	Kalkaska	MI	20 ft	5	-
43	Whitefish Lake	Crow Wing	MN	138 ft	23	Apr 25
44	Bealeau Lake	Shawano	WI	24 ft	4	-
45	Cranberry Lake	Oakland	MI	25 ft	14	-
46	Dead Lake	Otter Tail	MN	65 ft	18	Apr 14
47	Koonz Lake	Shawano	WI	40 ft	4	-
48	Tamarack Lake	Livingston	MI	34 ft	20	-
49	Burntside Lake	St. Louis	MN	126 ft	15	Apr 30
50	Lake Beulah	Walworth	WI	58 ft	3	-

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