Largemouth bass Lakes in Minnesota

Found in 1,314 Minnesota lakes · 172 in Michigan

Rough fish like Largemouth bass are often associated with eutrophic, nutrient-loaded waters. Their presence — documented in 172 Minnesota 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.

1,314

Minnesota Lakes

Avg. Grade

439

Grade A Lakes

Counties

Best Largemouth bass Lakes in Minnesota

Rank	Lake	County	Grade	Clarity	Depth
1	East Fox Lake	Crow Wing	A	16.4 ft	65 ft
2	North Long Lake	Crow Wing	A	15.1 ft	97 ft
3	Bad Medicine Lake	Becker	A	25 ft	84 ft
4	Big Sugar Bush Lake	Becker	A	16.5 ft	42 ft
5	Horseshoe Lake	Cass	A	21 ft	51 ft
6	Long Lake	Cass	A	21.5 ft	115 ft
7	Long Lake	Clearwater	A	20.5 ft	80 ft
8	Long Lake	Beltrami	A	20 ft	87 ft
9	Long Lake	Becker	A	19.3 ft	61 ft
10	Long Lake	Cass	A	17 ft	37 ft
11	Long Lake	Itasca	A	16.7 ft	72 ft
12	Long Lake	Itasca	A	16.9 ft	85 ft
13	Dead Lake	Hubbard	A	16 ft	34 ft
14	Otter Lake	Otter Tail	A	18 ft	64 ft
15	Ossawinnamakee Lake	Crow Wing	A	20 ft	63 ft
16	Clear Lake	Crow Wing	A	18 ft	63 ft
17	Clear Lake	Aitkin	A	15 ft	24 ft
18	Clear Lake	Itasca	A	14.9 ft	30 ft
19	Eagle Lake	Otter Tail	A	22.6 ft	46 ft
20	West Fox Lake	Crow Wing	A	15 ft	55 ft
21	Spearhead Lake	Hubbard	A	15 ft	81 ft
22	Ida Lake	Douglas	A	16.4 ft	106 ft
23	Star Lake	Crow Wing	A	19 ft	83 ft
24	Star Lake	Otter Tail	A	17 ft	94 ft
25	Upper Maple Lake	Wright	A	17.2 ft	76 ft
26	Fish Lake	Otter Tail	A	18 ft	69 ft
27	Birch Lake	Wright	A	15 ft	52 ft
28	Birch Lake	Unknown	A	15 ft	34 ft
29	Girl Lake	Cass	A	17.6 ft	81 ft
30	Little Toad Lake	Becker	A	15 ft	65 ft
31	Charlotte Lake	Wright	A	17.1 ft	46 ft
32	Bass Lake	Crow Wing	A	16.1 ft	47 ft
33	Bass Lake	Itasca	A	18.2 ft	65 ft
34	Bass Lake	Cass	A	-	55 ft
35	Crooked Lake	Stearns	A	15.5 ft	35 ft
36	Crooked Lake	Crow Wing	A	15 ft	54 ft
37	Cedar Lake	Morrison	A	16.2 ft	88 ft
38	Pelican Lake	Otter Tail	A	16.4 ft	55 ft
39	Square Lake	Washington	A	17 ft	68 ft
40	Lower Bottle Lake	Hubbard	A	15 ft	110 ft
41	Big Pine Lake	Aitkin	A	17 ft	78 ft
42	Strawberry Lake	Becker	A	17.5 ft	40 ft
43	Alexander Lake	Morrison	A	16.5 ft	64 ft
44	Mcavity Lake	Itasca	A	17.3 ft	29 ft
45	Gull Lake	Cass	A	15 ft	80 ft
46	Deep Portage Lake	Cass	A	15.4 ft	105 ft
47	Little Wabana Lake	Itasca	A	24 ft	57 ft
48	Lower Hay Lake	Crow Wing	A	18.5 ft	100 ft
49	Latoka Lake	Douglas	A	19 ft	108 ft
50	Pike Lake	St. Louis	A	18 ft	60 ft

Showing top 50 of 1,314 lakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Minnesota lakes have largemouth bass?

Largemouth bass are found in 1,314 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, North Long Lake, Bad Medicine Lake, Big Sugar Bush Lake, Horseshoe Lake.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.