Largemouth Bass Lakes in Minnesota

Found in 1,253 Minnesota lakes · 1,154 in Wisconsin

Largemouth Bass is a primary Minnesota sport-fishing target. 1,154 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. Largemouth Bass is widely distributed: 0 lakes in Minnesota and 1,154 in Wisconsin. That breadth means anglers in most counties of either state can find a documented Largemouth Bass lake within a reasonable drive.

Game-fish presence on a Minnesota 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. On the LakeGrade rubric, the cleanest Largemouth Bass lakes tend to also be the highest-graded — the same water-clarity and nutrient conditions that support the species also produce the higher grades.

1,253

Minnesota Lakes

Avg. Grade

430

Grade A Lakes

Counties

Best Largemouth Bass Lakes in Minnesota

Rank	Lake	County	Grade	Clarity	Depth
1	East Fox Lake	Crow Wing	A	16.1 ft	65 ft
2	Deep Portage Lake	Cass	A	15.4 ft	105 ft
3	Little Wabana Lake	Itasca	A	23.8 ft	57 ft
4	Lower Hay Lake	Crow Wing	A	19 ft	100 ft
5	Latoka Lake	Douglas	A	19 ft	108 ft
6	Bad Medicine Lake	Becker	A	25 ft	84 ft
7	Big Sugar Bush Lake	Becker	A	17 ft	42 ft
8	Pelican Lake	Otter Tail	A	16.1 ft	55 ft
9	Birch Lake	Wright	A	15 ft	52 ft
10	Birch Lake	Unknown	A	15 ft	34 ft
11	Round Lake	Aitkin	A	15.3 ft	59 ft
12	Pike Lake	St. Louis	A	18 ft	60 ft
13	Whitefish Lake	Crow Wing	A	15.1 ft	138 ft
14	Horseshoe Lake	Cass	A	21 ft	51 ft
15	Long Lake	Clearwater	A	20 ft	80 ft
16	Long Lake	Cass	A	21.8 ft	115 ft
17	Long Lake	Beltrami	A	20 ft	87 ft
18	Long Lake	Becker	A	20 ft	61 ft
19	Long Lake	Cass	A	16.8 ft	37 ft
20	Long Lake	Itasca	A	16.7 ft	72 ft
21	Long Lake	Itasca	A	16.9 ft	85 ft
22	Dead Lake	Hubbard	A	16 ft	34 ft
23	Unnamed Lake	Otter Tail	A	15.1 ft	95 ft
24	Maple Lake	Itasca	A	15.3 ft	39 ft
25	Shallow Lake	Itasca	A	16.4 ft	85 ft
26	Trout Lake	Itasca	A	15.5 ft	135 ft
27	Trout Lake	Itasca	A	18 ft	157 ft
28	Chippewa Lake	Douglas	A	15.1 ft	95 ft
29	Otter Lake	Otter Tail	A	18 ft	64 ft
30	Cowdry Lake	Douglas	A	17 ft	52 ft
31	Ossawinnamakee Lake	Crow Wing	A	20 ft	63 ft
32	Clear Lake	Crow Wing	A	18 ft	63 ft
33	Clear Lake	Aitkin	A	16 ft	24 ft
34	Clear Lake	Itasca	A	14.9 ft	30 ft
35	Blue Lake	Hubbard	A	17.4 ft	84 ft
36	Eagle Lake	Otter Tail	A	22.6 ft	46 ft
37	West Fox Lake	Crow Wing	A	15 ft	55 ft
38	Spearhead Lake	Hubbard	A	15 ft	81 ft
39	Ida Lake	Douglas	A	16.5 ft	106 ft
40	Star Lake	Crow Wing	A	19 ft	83 ft
41	Star Lake	Otter Tail	A	16.7 ft	94 ft
42	Upper Maple Lake	Wright	A	18 ft	76 ft
43	Partridge Lake	Crow Wing	A	16.2 ft	42 ft
44	Fish Lake	Otter Tail	A	17.8 ft	69 ft
45	Sand Lake	Cass	A	21 ft	54 ft
46	Roger Lake	Crow Wing	A	16 ft	64 ft
47	Square Lake	Washington	A	17 ft	68 ft
48	Andrusia Lake	Beltrami	A	15.5 ft	60 ft
49	Girl Lake	Cass	A	17 ft	81 ft
50	Little Toad Lake	Becker	A	15 ft	65 ft

Showing top 50 of 1,253 lakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Minnesota lakes have largemouth bass?

Largemouth Bass are found in 1,253 lakes in Minnesota. The average water quality grade of these lakes is C (Fair).

What are the best largemouth bass lakes in Minnesota?

The best largemouth bass lakes in Minnesota by water quality are East Fox Lake, Deep Portage Lake, Little Wabana Lake, Lower Hay Lake, Latoka Lake.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.