Largemouth Bass Fishing Guide: 2,489 Lakes by Water Quality

The most popular game fish in America, an ambush predator that crushes topwater baits around cover. Largemouth grow big in warm, fertile lakes.

Largemouth Bass is a primary the United States (49 states), Canada (Ontario, Québec, Nova Scotia, British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador), and 38 other country hubs. LakeQuality covers sport-fishing target. 2,489 lakes have an official record of the species — the actual population almost certainly extends further, since not every lake gets a full DNR fishery survey every year. With 1,267 lakes in Minnesota, 1,063 in Wisconsin, and 159 in Michigan carrying a documented record, Largemouth Bass is one of the more accessible targets in the dataset.

Game-fish presence on a the United States (49 states), Canada (Ontario, Québec, Nova Scotia, British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador), and 38 other country hubs. LakeQuality covers lake also signals enough water-quality stability to support the prey species the game fish depend on — perch, alewife, ciscoes — which themselves require reasonably oxygenated, clear water. The Largemouth Bass lakes with the lowest nutrient and algae readings tend to be the ones where the species does best, since the same water-clarity and nutrient conditions support both.

Where they live

Weed edges, docks, laydowns, and lily pads in warm, shallow-to-mid water with abundant vegetation.

Water quality they need

Largemouth tolerate warmer, more productive water than most game fish, so they show up across the whole range of nutrient readings, but a healthy, weedy mesotrophic lake with enough clarity to grow vegetation produces the best populations.

When to catch them

Fires up in late spring around the spawn in shallow bays, stays strong all summer around cover, and feeds heavily in fall.

Largemouth Bass Seasonal Forecast & Techniques

Part of the LakeQuality Fishing Forecast. Spawn trigger: Beds in shallow, protected bays at 60–68°F, usually late spring. Forage: Bluegill, crayfish, frogs, and shad. For a forecast tuned to a specific lake's measured clarity and depth, open that lake's forecast.

Season	Where they hold	Structure & cover	Technique
Spring	shallow 1–6 ft	protected bays, pads, laydowns, warming flats	soft plastics, jigs, lipless cranks pre-spawn
Summer	shallow-to-mid 3–15 ft	weed edges, docks, lily pads, deep weedlines	topwater at dawn/dusk, Texas-rigged plastics, frogs
Fall	shallow 2–10 ft	bays chasing baitfish, remaining green weeds	spinnerbaits, squarebill cranks, chatterbaits
Winter / Ice	deep 12–25 ft	main-lake basin edges (largely dormant in the north)	slow finesse — a marginal cold-water bite

Clear-water tactics:finesse: drop-shot, wacky/ned rignatural translucent colorslonger casts, fish low lightStained-water tactics:reaction baits: chatterbait, dark jigsthump/vibration & dark silhouettesflip heavy cover

2,489

Total Lakes

40 ft

Avg. Depth

Best Largemouth Bass Lakes by Water Quality

Top 50 lakes with largemouth bass, ranked on nutrient and algae readings.

Rank	Lake	County	State	Depth	Species
1	Lobster Lake	Douglas	MN	65 ft	18
2	East Fox Lake	Crow Wing	MN	65 ft	15
3	Deep Portage Lake	Cass	MN	105 ft	9
4	Clearwater Lake	Wright	MN	73 ft	17
5	Clearwater Lake	Crow Wing	MN	54 ft	16
6	Clearwater Lake	Clearwater	MN	65 ft	14
7	Lower Hay Lake	Crow Wing	MN	100 ft	21
8	Latoka Lake	Douglas	MN	108 ft	16
9	Little Birch Lake	Todd	MN	89 ft	20
10	North Long Lake	Crow Wing	MN	97 ft	18
11	Bad Medicine Lake	Becker	MN	84 ft	13
12	Mud Lake	Becker	MN	34 ft	16
13	Big Lake	Beltrami	MN	35 ft	17
14	Big Lake	Carlton	MN	25 ft	9
15	Big Lake	Sherburne	MN	48 ft	14
16	Big Sugar Bush Lake	Becker	MN	42 ft	13
17	Pelican Lake	Otter Tail	MN	55 ft	20
18	Pelican Lake	Crow Wing	MN	104 ft	17
19	Birch Lake	Wright	MN	52 ft	9
20	Birch Lake	Cass	MN	45 ft	14
21	Round Lake	Aitkin	MN	125 ft	18
22	Round Lake	Crow Wing	MN	51 ft	20
23	Round Lake	Becker	MN	69 ft	18
24	Ada Lake	Cass	MN	60 ft	16
25	Whitefish Lake	Crow Wing	MN	138 ft	23
26	Whitefish Lake	Beltrami	MN	30 ft	12
27	Horseshoe Lake	Crow Wing	MN	56 ft	11
28	Washburn Lake	Cass	MN	111 ft	21
29	Long Lake	Kandiyohi	MN	46 ft	15
30	Long Lake	Clearwater	MN	80 ft	15
31	Long Lake	Cass	MN	115 ft	14
32	Long Lake	Beltrami	MN	87 ft	11
33	Long Lake	Otter Tail	MN	128 ft	16
34	Long Lake	Becker	MN	61 ft	16
35	Long Lake	Hubbard	MN	135 ft	14
36	Long Lake	Otter Tail	MN	88 ft	1
37	Long Lake	Otter Tail	MN	73 ft	17
38	Long Lake	Itasca	MN	72 ft	10
39	Long Lake	Itasca	MN	85 ft	12
40	Dead Lake	Hubbard	MN	34 ft	9
41	Dead Lake	Otter Tail	MN	65 ft	18
42	Unnamed Lake	Nicollet	MN	35 ft	6
43	Unnamed Lake	Sherburne	MN	43 ft	7
44	Maple Lake	Douglas	MN	78 ft	17
45	Maple Lake	Itasca	MN	39 ft	13
46	West Twin Lake	Crow Wing	MN	42 ft	12
47	Shallow Lake	Itasca	MN	85 ft	12
48	Shallow Lake	Hubbard	MN	10 ft	13
49	Trout Lake	Itasca	MN	157 ft	9
50	Detroit Lake	Becker	MN	89 ft	19

Showing top 50 of 2,489 lakes with largemouth bass.

Frequently Asked Questions

What water quality do largemouth bass need?

How many lakes have largemouth bass?

Largemouth Bass are documented in 2,489 lakes: 1,267 in Minnesota, 1,063 in Wisconsin, 159 in Michigan.

What are the best lakes for largemouth bass?

The best largemouth bass lakes by water quality are Lobster Lake, East Fox Lake, Deep Portage Lake, Clearwater Lake, Clearwater Lake. These lakes carry the lowest nutrient and algae readings among all lakes where largemouth bass have been documented by state DNR surveys.

What other fish are found with largemouth bass?

Largemouth Bass are most commonly found alongside largemouth bass, bluegill, northern pike, black crappie, yellow perch. These species share similar habitat preferences in the region's lakes.

Other Fish Species in Largemouth Bass Lakes

Bluegill Lakes

Found together in 1,233 lakes · 1,550 total

Northern Pike Lakes

Found together in 1,214 lakes · 2,386 total

Black Crappie Lakes

Found together in 1,197 lakes · 1,386 total

Yellow Perch Lakes

Found together in 1,172 lakes · 1,577 total

Pumpkinseed Lakes

Found together in 1,102 lakes · 1,328 total

Panfish Lakes

Found together in 1,042 lakes · 1,090 total

Fish species from state agency survey, stocking, and public fishing-access records; water-quality readings from the EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys. Species profiles are general reference; always check current state regulations before fishing.