Medium-Depth Lakes (20-50 ft) in Minnesota & Wisconsin

Q: Why are medium-depth lakes popular for fishing?

Medium-depth lakes (20-50 ft) offer the best mix of habitat zones. They are deep enough to maintain a cool-water layer that supports walleye and northern pike, while the shallower areas grow abundant weed beds that attract panfish and bass. This habitat diversity means more fish species and better all-around fishing.

Q: Are medium-depth lakes good for swimming?

Many medium-depth lakes offer excellent swimming conditions. They warm up enough for comfortable summer swimming while maintaining better water quality than very shallow lakes. The depth helps moderate temperature and reduces algae growth compared to lakes under 15 feet deep.

Lakes between 20 and 50 feet deep in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Medium-depth lakes offer the best balance of warm and cool water habitat, supporting the widest variety of fish species.

Maximum-depth data currently comes from the Minnesota and Wisconsin DNR lake surveys, so these rankings cover MN and WI lakes only. Grades for the other 10 covered states are based on clarity and nutrient measurements.

Deep (50+ ft)Medium (20-50 ft)Shallow (<20 ft)

100

Total Lakes

100

Minnesota

Wisconsin

Rank	Lake	County	State	Grade	Depth	Area	Fish
1	Big Sugar Bush Lake	Becker	MN	A	42 ft	522 acres	13
2	Round Lake	Cook	MN	A	45 ft	154 acres	5
3	Round Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	38 ft	181 acres	0
4	Long Lake	Cass	MN	A	37 ft	246 acres	12
5	Dead Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	34 ft	131 acres	9
6	Sunshine Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	37 ft	79 acres	0
7	Clear Lake	Aitkin	MN	A	24 ft	574 acres	14
8	Clear Lake	Itasca	MN	A	30 ft	140 acres	9
9	Eagle Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	46 ft	907 acres	10
10	Birch Lake	Unknown	MN	A	34 ft	836 acres	10
11	Charlotte Lake	Wright	MN	A	46 ft	253 acres	10
12	Bass Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	47 ft	121 acres	14
13	Crooked Lake	Stearns	MN	A	35 ft	77 acres	10
14	Strawberry Lake	Becker	MN	A	40 ft	1,498 acres	16
15	Mcavity Lake	Itasca	MN	A	29 ft	147 acres	9
16	Clearwater Lake	Lake	MN	A	46 ft	640 acres	0
17	Pike Lake	Cook	MN	A	45 ft	814 acres	7
18	Maple Lake	Itasca	MN	A	39 ft	255 acres	13
19	Bear Lake	Lake	MN	A	31 ft	44 acres	4
20	Blue Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	48 ft	177 acres	0
21	Partridge Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	42 ft	188 acres	10
22	Big Mcdonald Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	46 ft	992 acres	15
23	Island Lake	Cass	MN	A	45 ft	358 acres	12
24	Island Lake	Becker	MN	A	38 ft	1,179 acres	15
25	Island Lake	Cass	MN	A	40 ft	184 acres	13
26	Island Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	32 ft	225 acres	13
27	Island Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	36 ft	126 acres	9
28	Eagles Nest Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	49 ft	1,028 acres	9
29	George Lake	Kandiyohi	MN	A	34 ft	228 acres	15
30	Middle Cormorant Lake	Becker	MN	A	40 ft	373 acres	13
31	Brickyard Lake	Carver	MN	A	43 ft	14 acres	0
32	Ox Yoke Lake	Cass	MN	A	42 ft	185 acres	13
33	Mary Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	48 ft	235 acres	14
34	Little Bass Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	22 ft	363 acres	0
35	Little Bass Lake	Clearwater	MN	A	35 ft	51 acres	0
36	Napoleon Lake	Itasca	MN	A	30 ft	138 acres	8
37	Silver Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	29 ft	46 acres	10
38	Silver Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	23 ft	208 acres	6
39	Crystal Lake	Cass	MN	A	40 ft	190 acres	10
40	Stuart Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	49 ft	740 acres	14
41	Little Hubert Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	41 ft	194 acres	0
42	Perch Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	40 ft	266 acres	12
43	Placid Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	39 ft	183 acres	0
44	Pine Lake	Cass	MN	A	25 ft	261 acres	10
45	East Twin Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	45 ft	163 acres	10
46	Elbow Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	46 ft	188 acres	11
47	Emma Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	50 ft	78 acres	11
48	Schultz Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	48 ft	210 acres	11
49	Ember Lake	Wright	MN	A	45 ft	59 acres	9
50	Sanburn Lake	Cass	MN	A	48 ft	220 acres	12
51	Little Armstrong Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	26 ft	70 acres	2
52	Midge Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	24 ft	546 acres	11
53	Rose Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	31 ft	59 acres	0
54	Maud Lake	Becker	MN	A	32 ft	517 acres	15
55	Little Long Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	45 ft	322 acres	11
56	Sturgeon Lake	Pine	MN	A	40 ft	1,706 acres	15
57	Leo Lake	Cook	MN	A	28 ft	102 acres	3
58	Little Pelican Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	34 ft	271 acres	12
59	Mirror Lake	Itasca	MN	A	45 ft	109 acres	8
60	Clamshell Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	44 ft	211 acres	18
61	Little Star Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	30 ft	49 acres	13
62	Moon Lake	Douglas	MN	A	38 ft	139 acres	12
63	Whiskey Lake	Douglas	MN	A	46 ft	160 acres	13
64	Bonnie Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	42 ft	76 acres	7
65	Armstrong Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	34 ft	382 acres	10
66	Hunter Lake	Cass	MN	A	48 ft	182 acres	0
67	Lost Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	44 ft	124 acres	8
68	Stony Lake	Cass	MN	A	50 ft	563 acres	12
69	Deep Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	50 ft	73 acres	10
70	Pine Island Lake	Todd	MN	A	26 ft	238 acres	11
71	Ojibway Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	22 ft	184 acres	7
72	Bad Axe Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	39 ft	303 acres	13
73	Sagatagan Lake	Stearns	MN	A	42 ft	227 acres	1
74	Spirit Lake	Wadena	MN	A	45 ft	114 acres	8
75	Widow Lake	Cass	MN	A	46 ft	198 acres	12
76	St. Mary'S Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	44 ft	234 acres	14
77	Lottie Lake	Douglas	MN	A	31 ft	46 acres	14
78	Swamp Lake	Unknown	MN	A	50 ft	109 acres	0
79	Knieff Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	42 ft	44 acres	0
80	East Silent Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	48 ft	324 acres	13
81	Moses Lake	Douglas	MN	A	32 ft	824 acres	17
82	South Twin Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	45 ft	222 acres	11
83	Barnum Lake	Cass	MN	A	30 ft	151 acres	8
84	Mule Lake	Cass	MN	A	47 ft	525 acres	11
85	Mule Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	31 ft	53 acres	0
86	Little Webb Lake	Cass	MN	A	37 ft	226 acres	13
87	Lower Cullen Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	39 ft	560 acres	16
88	Fawn Lake	Cass	MN	A	29 ft	46 acres	0
89	Pillager Lake	Cass	MN	A	39 ft	205 acres	12
90	Ruth Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	39 ft	599 acres	12
91	Cherry Lake	Lake	MN	A	30 ft	19 acres	0
92	Canoe Lake	Cook	MN	A	40 ft	96 acres	4
93	Indiana Lake	Lake	MN	A	31 ft	143 acres	7
94	Mckeown Lake	Cass	MN	A	37 ft	168 acres	0
95	Waboose Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	32 ft	175 acres	6
96	Big Island Lake	Itasca	MN	A	42 ft	244 acres	6
97	North Union Lake	Douglas	MN	A	42 ft	118 acres	13
98	Parent Lake	Lake	MN	A	50 ft	451 acres	9
99	Sturgeon Lake	Pine	MN	A	40 ft	1,706 acres	15
100	Sorenson Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	46 ft	92 acres	0

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are medium-depth lakes popular for fishing?

Medium-depth lakes (20-50 ft) offer the best mix of habitat zones. They are deep enough to maintain a cool-water layer that supports walleye and northern pike, while the shallower areas grow abundant weed beds that attract panfish and bass. This habitat diversity means more fish species and better all-around fishing.

Are medium-depth lakes good for swimming?

Many medium-depth lakes offer excellent swimming conditions. They warm up enough for comfortable summer swimming while maintaining better water quality than very shallow lakes. The depth helps moderate temperature and reduces algae growth compared to lakes under 15 feet deep.

Notable Medium-Depth Lakes (20-50 ft)

Big Sugar Bush Lake

Becker County, MN · Grade A · 42 ft

Round Lake

Cook County, MN · Grade A · 45 ft

Round Lake

Beltrami County, MN · Grade A · 38 ft

Long Lake

Cass County, MN · Grade A · 37 ft

Dead Lake

Hubbard County, MN · Grade A · 34 ft

Sunshine Lake

St. Louis County, MN · Grade A · 37 ft

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.