Largemouth bass Lakes in Minnesota, Wisconsin & Michigan

Other SpeciesFound in 172 lakes

Rough fish like Largemouth bass are often associated with eutrophic, nutrient-loaded waters. Their presence — documented in 172 Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan lakes — is often a signal of how the rest of the fishery is functioning. Largemouth bass is moderately distributed — 172 lakes in Michigan. Some counties have it, others do not, so checking the per-lake pages matters.

Rough-fish-dominant lakes are worth checking the grade on: a rough-fish-heavy fishery often reflects an underlying nutrient-loading problem in the watershed. Cross-reference the Largemouth bass lake list below against the LakeGrade rubric: lakes with both an A or B grade and Largemouth bass documented are the best places to start for recreational targeting.

172

Total Lakes

172

Michigan lakes →

Avg. Grade

41 ft

Avg. Depth

Water Quality of Largemouth bass Lakes

894

34%

702

27%

517

20%

337

13%

176

Best Largemouth bass Lakes by Water Quality

Top 50 lakes with largemouth bass ranked by overall water quality grade.

Rank	Lake	County	State	Grade	Depth	Species
1	East Fox Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	65 ft	15
2	North Long Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	97 ft	18
3	Bad Medicine Lake	Becker	MN	A	84 ft	13
4	Big Sugar Bush Lake	Becker	MN	A	42 ft	13
5	Horseshoe Lake	Cass	MN	A	51 ft	12
6	Long Lake	Cass	MN	A	115 ft	14
7	Long Lake	Clearwater	MN	A	80 ft	15
8	Long Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	87 ft	11
9	Long Lake	Becker	MN	A	61 ft	16
10	Long Lake	Cass	MN	A	37 ft	12
11	Long Lake	Itasca	MN	A	72 ft	10
12	Long Lake	Itasca	MN	A	85 ft	12
13	Dead Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	34 ft	9
14	Otter Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	64 ft	7
15	Ossawinnamakee Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	63 ft	18
16	Clear Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	63 ft	15
17	Clear Lake	Aitkin	MN	A	24 ft	14
18	Clear Lake	Itasca	MN	A	30 ft	9
19	Eagle Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	46 ft	10
20	West Fox Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	55 ft	15
21	Spearhead Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	81 ft	17
22	Ida Lake	Douglas	MN	A	106 ft	19
23	Star Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	83 ft	12
24	Star Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	94 ft	17
25	Upper Maple Lake	Wright	MN	A	76 ft	15
26	Fish Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	69 ft	17
27	Birch Lake	Wright	MN	A	52 ft	9
28	Birch Lake	Unknown	MN	A	34 ft	10
29	Girl Lake	Cass	MN	A	81 ft	18
30	Little Toad Lake	Becker	MN	A	65 ft	15
31	Charlotte Lake	Wright	MN	A	46 ft	10
32	Bass Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	47 ft	14
33	Bass Lake	Itasca	MN	A	65 ft	7
34	Bass Lake	Cass	MN	A	55 ft	12
35	Crooked Lake	Stearns	MN	A	35 ft	10
36	Crooked Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	54 ft	16
37	Cedar Lake	Morrison	MN	A	88 ft	14
38	Pelican Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	55 ft	20
39	Square Lake	Washington	MN	A	68 ft	9
40	Lower Bottle Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	110 ft	13
41	Big Pine Lake	Aitkin	MN	A	78 ft	15
42	Strawberry Lake	Becker	MN	A	40 ft	16
43	Alexander Lake	Morrison	MN	A	64 ft	19
44	Mcavity Lake	Itasca	MN	A	29 ft	9
45	Gull Lake	Cass	MN	A	80 ft	22
46	Deep Portage Lake	Cass	MN	A	105 ft	9
47	Little Wabana Lake	Itasca	MN	A	57 ft	6
48	Lower Hay Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	100 ft	21
49	Latoka Lake	Douglas	MN	A	108 ft	16
50	Pike Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	60 ft	9

Showing top 50 of 2,626 lakes with largemouth bass.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many lakes have largemouth bass?

Largemouth bass are found in 172 graded lakes: 172 in Michigan. The average water quality grade of lakes with largemouth bass is B (Good).

What are the best lakes for largemouth bass?

The best largemouth bass lakes by water quality are East Fox Lake, North Long Lake, Bad Medicine Lake, Big Sugar Bush Lake, Horseshoe Lake. These lakes have the highest water quality grades 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 1,271 lakes · 240 total

Northern pike Lakes

Found together in 1,260 lakes · 99 total

Black Crappie Lakes

Found together in 1,243 lakes · 41 total

Yellow Perch Lakes

Found together in 1,219 lakes · 113 total

Pumpkinseed Lakes

Found together in 1,147 lakes · 145 total

Panfish Lakes

Found together in 1,100 lakes · 1,148 total

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.