Musky Lakes in Minnesota & Wisconsin

Other SpeciesFound in 429 lakes

Rough fish like Musky are often associated with eutrophic, nutrient-loaded waters. Their presence — documented in 429 Minnesota and Wisconsin lakes — is often a signal of how the rest of the fishery is functioning. Musky is moderately distributed — present in 0 Minnesota lakes and 429 Wisconsin lakes. 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 Musky lake list below against the LakeGrade rubric: lakes with both an A or B grade and Musky documented are the best places to start for recreational targeting.

429

Total Lakes

Minnesota

429

Wisconsin

Avg. Grade

39 ft

Avg. Depth

Water Quality of Musky Lakes

289

67%

19%

Best Musky Lakes by Water Quality

Top 50 lakes with musky ranked by overall water quality grade.

Rank	Lake	County	State	Grade	Depth	Species
1	Lac Courte Oreilles Lake	Sawyer	WI	A	90 ft	6
2	Sunset Lake	Vilas	WI	A	30 ft	6
3	Grindstone Lake	Sawyer	WI	A	60 ft	6
4	Middle Sugarbush Lake	Vilas	WI	A	57 ft	6
5	Irving Lake	Vilas	WI	A	-	4
6	Towanda Lake	Vilas	WI	A	27 ft	5
7	West Bay Lake	Vilas	WI	A	57 ft	6
8	West Bay Lake	Vilas	WI	A	31 ft	6
9	Long Lake	Waupaca	WI	A	76 ft	7
10	Long Lake	Lincoln	WI	A	64 ft	4
11	Long Lake	Chippewa	WI	A	101 ft	6
12	Long Lake	Oneida	WI	A	58 ft	4
13	Long Lake	Iron	WI	A	34 ft	6
14	Chain Lake	Chippewa	WI	A	74 ft	6
15	Upper Eau Claire Lake	Bayfield	WI	A	92 ft	6
16	Spring Lake	Vilas	WI	A	16 ft	4
17	Spider Lake	Vilas	WI	A	43 ft	6
18	Spider Lake	Sawyer	WI	A	64 ft	5
19	Silver Lake	Kenosha	WI	A	44 ft	7
20	Silver Lake	Vilas	WI	A	-	5
21	Silver Lake	Forest	WI	A	-	6
22	Dead Pike Lake	Vilas	WI	A	80 ft	6
23	Stella Lake	Oneida	WI	A	22 ft	6
24	Birch Lake	Vilas	WI	A	45 ft	6
25	Birch Lake	Oneida	WI	A	27 ft	5
26	Round Lake	Sawyer	WI	A	74 ft	6
27	Round Lake	Waupaca	WI	A	67 ft	8
28	Round Lake	Shawano	WI	A	39 ft	5
29	Round Lake	Chippewa	WI	A	18 ft	5
30	Bass Lake	Lincoln	WI	A	40 ft	4
31	Bass Lake	Washburn	WI	A	35 ft	4
32	Bass Lake	Price	WI	A	46 ft	5
33	Pewaukee Lake	Waukesha	WI	A	45 ft	5
34	Bear Lake	Oconto	WI	A	20 ft	4
35	Bear Lake	Douglas	WI	A	10 ft	5
36	Big Lake	Vilas	WI	A	30 ft	6
37	Lily Lake	Forest	WI	A	24 ft	5
38	Pine Lake	Iron	WI	A	41 ft	5
39	Pine Lake	Shawano	WI	A	35 ft	5
40	Murphy Lake	Vilas	WI	A	52 ft	5
41	Anderson Lake	Oconto	WI	A	40 ft	5
42	Planting Ground Lake	Oneida	WI	A	37 ft	6
43	Little Sissabagama Lake	Sawyer	WI	A	75 ft	5
44	Upper Kaubashine Lake	Oneida	WI	A	56 ft	6
45	Cedar Lake	Iron	WI	A	21 ft	6
46	Sand Lake	Rusk	WI	A	100 ft	5
47	Little Crawling Stone Lake	Vilas	WI	A	44 ft	6
48	White Birch Lake	Vilas	WI	A	27 ft	5
49	Island Lake	Rusk	WI	A	54 ft	6
50	Island Lake	Vilas	WI	A	35 ft	6

Showing top 50 of 429 lakes with musky.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many lakes have musky?

Musky are found in 429 lakes across Minnesota and Wisconsin, 0 in Minnesota and 429 in Wisconsin. The average water quality grade of lakes with musky is B (Good).

What are the best lakes for musky?

The best musky lakes by water quality are Lac Courte Oreilles Lake, Sunset Lake, Grindstone Lake, Middle Sugarbush Lake, Irving Lake. These lakes have the highest water quality grades among all lakes where musky have been documented by state DNR surveys.

What other fish are found with musky?

Musky are most commonly found alongside panfish, largemouth bass, walleye, northern pike, smallmouth bass. These species share similar habitat preferences in the region's lakes.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.