Best Ice Fishing Lakes in Wisconsin, Walleye + Crappie + Pike, LakeQuality

Ice-fishing rankings weight winter-target species presence (walleye, perch, tullibee, lake trout) and accessibility on the ice. Geneva Lake (A) leads the Wisconsin list.

Ice-fishing rankings also favor lakes with reliable winter access — a published winter-road, plowed parking, or shoreline owned by a resort or DNR access point.

Rank	Lake	County	State	Grade	Clarity	Area	Depth
1	Geneva Lake	Walworth	WI	A	20.2 ft	5,401 acres	135 ft
2	Geneva Lake	Walworth	WI	A	20.7 ft	5,401 acres	135 ft
3	Geneva Lake Site B	Walworth	WI	A	24.1 ft	5,401 acres	135 ft
4	Fence Lake Deep	Vilas	WI	A	17 ft	3,483 acres	86 ft
5	Fence Lake	Vilas	WI	A	15 ft	3,483 acres	86 ft
6	Round Lake	Sawyer	WI	A	21.1 ft	3,294 acres	74 ft
7	Grindstone Lake	Sawyer	WI	A	17.4 ft	3,176 acres	60 ft
8	Shell Lake	Washburn	WI	A	16 ft	2,513 acres	36 ft
9	Lake Metonga	Forest	WI	A	22 ft	2,038 acres	79 ft
10	Big Crawling Stone Deep Lake	Vilas	WI	A	17 ft	1,483 acres	87 ft
11	Crawling Stone Lake	Vilas	WI	A	16 ft	1,483 acres	87 ft
12	Lake Owen	Bayfield	WI	A	24.6 ft	1,250 acres	95 ft
13	Butternut Lake	Forest	WI	A	19.5 ft	1,246 acres	42 ft
14	White Sand Lake Deep	Vilas	WI	A	18 ft	1,181 acres	63 ft
15	White Sand Lake	Vilas	WI	A	16 ft	1,181 acres	63 ft
16	Flambeau Lake	Vilas	WI	A	-	1,166 acres	78 ft
17	Presque Isle Lake	Vilas	WI	A	18 ft	1,165 acres	103 ft
18	Pokegama Lake	Vilas	WI	A	-	1,041 acres	65 ft
19	Lake Lucerne	Forest	WI	A	18.5 ft	1,039 acres	73 ft
20	Upper Eau Claire Lake	Bayfield	WI	A	18.7 ft	1,024 acres	92 ft
21	Big Cedar Lake	Washington	WI	A	16.4 ft	937 acres	105 ft
22	Sand Lake	Burnett	WI	A	18.3 ft	900 acres	73 ft
23	Middle Eau Claire Lake	Bayfield	WI	A	18.2 ft	880 acres	66 ft
24	Whitefish Lake	Douglas	WI	A	24.5 ft	848 acres	102 ft
25	Whitefish Lake	Douglas	WI	A	25.3 ft	848 acres	102 ft
26	Bardon Lake	Douglas	WI	A	27 ft	848 acres	102 ft
27	Franklin Lake	Forest	WI	A	16 ft	839 acres	46 ft
28	Deer Lake	Polk	WI	A	16 ft	786 acres	46 ft
29	Lower Eau Claire Lake	Bayfield	WI	A	18.5 ft	784 acres	41 ft
30	Big Lake	Vilas	WI	A	-	780 acres	30 ft
31	White Sand Lake	Vilas	WI	A	20 ft	746 acres	71 ft
32	Pine Lake	Waukesha	WI	A	25 ft	711 acres	85 ft
33	Black Oak Lake	Vilas	WI	A	28.5 ft	564 acres	85 ft
34	Namekagon Lake	Bayfield	WI	A	-	558 acres	23 ft
35	Half Moon Lake	Polk	WI	A	15.3 ft	550 acres	60 ft
36	Harris Lake	Vilas	WI	A	14.9 ft	534 acres	57 ft
37	Middle Mckenzie Lake	Burnett	WI	A	20 ft	527 acres	45 ft
38	Stone Lake	Washburn	WI	A	23 ft	490 acres	49 ft
39	Little Muskego Lake	Waukesha	WI	A	15.5 ft	470 acres	65 ft
40	Forest Lake	Vilas	WI	A	22.2 ft	468 acres	60 ft
41	Forest Lake	Vilas	WI	A	23 ft	468 acres	60 ft
42	Papoose Lake	Vilas	WI	A	15 ft	422 acres	65 ft
43	Squash Lake	Oneida	WI	A	17.4 ft	398 acres	74 ft
44	Trego Lake	Washburn	WI	A	-	383 acres	36 ft
45	Razorback Lake	Vilas	WI	A	15.2 ft	381 acres	35 ft
46	Long Interlaken Lake Deep	Vilas	WI	A	15 ft	380 acres	65 ft
47	Clearwater Lake	Oneida	WI	A	16.8 ft	360 acres	48 ft
48	Blueberry Lake	Sawyer	WI	A	14.9 ft	292 acres	29 ft
49	Wheeler Lake	Oconto	WI	A	27 ft	281 acres	35 ft
50	Long Lake	Bayfield	WI	A	16.2 ft	280 acres	28 ft

Combined list →Minnesota version →All Wisconsin lakes →

Where to stay near Wisconsin ice-fishing lakes

Book winter cabins, lodges, and rentals near Wisconsin's best hard-water lakes — live availability and prices for your ice-fishing weekend.

Top-rated places to stay near Wisconsin ice-fishing lakes

Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.

Planning a trip to Wisconsin ice-fishing lakes?

Get lake water-quality report cards plus the best cabin & lodging deals near Wisconsin ice-fishing lakes — straight to your inbox. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.