Musky Fishing Guide

Other SpeciesDocumented in 419 graded lakes across 1 state

Rough fish like Musky are often associated with eutrophic, nutrient-loaded waters. Their presence — documented in 419 the 49 states and 2 Canadian provinces LakeQuality covers lakes — is often a signal of how the rest of the fishery is functioning. Musky is moderately distributed — 419 lakes in Wisconsin. 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 letter grades: lakes with both an A or B grade and Musky documented are the best places to start for recreational targeting.

Musky Seasonal Forecast & Techniques

Part of the LakeQuality Fishing Forecast. Spawn trigger: Spawns over shallow vegetation at 55–63°F in late spring; needs cool, clean, forage-rich water. Forage: Large forage — suckers, ciscoes, panfish. 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 3–10 ft	warming weed flats, bays	bucktails, smaller glide baits
Summer	weed & rock 6–20 ft	big weed flats, rock bars, open-water basins	bucktails, topwater, crankbaits
Fall	variable 8–35 ft	deep structure, cisco lakes, big-bait zones	large soft baits & suckers — prime trophy window
Winter / Ice	n/a	season typically closed	catch-and-release ethic; check regulations

Clear-water tactics:bucktails & glide baitsnatural colorsfigure-8 boatsideStained-water tactics:rubber/rattling baitsbright, big-profile, high-vibration

Muskie fisheries depend on careful catch-and-release; use proper release tools and check size limits.

419

Total Lakes

419

Wisconsin lakes →

Avg. Grade

37 ft

Avg. Depth

Water Quality of Musky Lakes

171

41%

13%

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	Okauchee Lake	Waukesha	WI	A	90 ft	6
2	Lac Courte Oreilles Lake	Sawyer	WI	A	90 ft	6
3	Whitefish Lake	Sawyer	WI	A	105 ft	7
4	Round Lake	Sawyer	WI	A	74 ft	6
5	Little Lac Courte Oreilles Lake	Sawyer	WI	A	46 ft	6
6	Sand Lake	Sawyer	WI	A	50 ft	6
7	Ashegon Lake	Sawyer	WI	A	56 ft	6
8	Little Round Lake	Sawyer	WI	A	38 ft	6
9	Osprey Lake	Sawyer	WI	A	32 ft	6
10	Grindstone Lake	Sawyer	WI	A	60 ft	6
11	Lake St Croix	St. Croix	WI	B	60 ft	7
12	Boulder Lake	Vilas	WI	B	23 ft	6
13	Spider Lake	Sawyer	WI	B	64 ft	5
14	Spider Lake	Vilas	WI	B	43 ft	6
15	Pickerel Lake	Vilas	WI	B	26 ft	5
16	Cranberry Lake	Bayfield	WI	B	12 ft	5
17	North Turtle Lake	Vilas	WI	B	58 ft	6
18	Silver Lake	Kenosha	WI	B	44 ft	7
19	Silver Lake	Columbia	WI	B	42 ft	5
20	Silver Lake	Vilas	WI	B	19 ft	5
21	Silver Lake	Forest	WI	B	20 ft	6
22	Plum Lake	Vilas	WI	B	57 ft	6
23	Whitefish Lake	Oneida	WI	B	33 ft	6
24	Round Lake	Shawano	WI	B	39 ft	5
25	Round Lake	Chippewa	WI	B	18 ft	5
26	Round Lake	Oneida	WI	B	15 ft	6
27	Cedar Lake	Iron	WI	B	21 ft	6
28	Deep Lake	Washburn	WI	B	25 ft	4
29	Beasley Lake	Waupaca	WI	B	47 ft	6
30	Bass Lake	Oneida	WI	B	20 ft	6
31	Bass Lake	Price	WI	B	46 ft	5
32	Bass Lake	Vilas	WI	B	15 ft	5
33	Bass Lake	Lincoln	WI	B	40 ft	4
34	Callahan Lake	Sawyer	WI	B	18 ft	4
35	Clear Lake	Sawyer	WI	B	32 ft	4
36	Clear Lake	Rusk	WI	B	74 ft	6
37	Clear Lake	Oneida	WI	B	95 ft	6
38	Pioneer Lake	Vilas	WI	B	27 ft	5
39	Rice Lake	Iron	WI	B	21 ft	6
40	Little Spider Lake	Vilas	WI	B	23 ft	5
41	Bone Lake	Polk	WI	B	43 ft	4
42	Marl Lake	Waupaca	WI	B	59 ft	5
43	Indian Lake	Oneida	WI	B	26 ft	6
44	Tom Doyle Lake	Oneida	WI	B	30 ft	6
45	Oxbow Lake	Vilas	WI	B	44 ft	6
46	Bear Lake	Oconto	WI	B	20 ft	4
47	Long Lake	Waupaca	WI	B	76 ft	7
48	Long Lake	Chippewa	WI	B	101 ft	6
49	Long Lake	Lincoln	WI	B	64 ft	4
50	Towanda Lake	Vilas	WI	B	27 ft	5

Showing top 50 of 419 lakes with musky.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many lakes have musky?

Musky are found in 419 graded lakes: 419 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 Okauchee Lake, Lac Courte Oreilles Lake, Whitefish Lake, Round Lake, Little Lac Courte Oreilles 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.

Other Fish Species in Musky Lakes

Panfish Lakes

Found together in 415 lakes · 1,152 total

Largemouth Bass Lakes

Found together in 407 lakes · 2,593 total

Walleye Lakes

Found together in 389 lakes · 1,982 total

Northern Pike Lakes

Found together in 358 lakes · 2,487 total

Smallmouth Bass Lakes

Found together in 267 lakes · 953 total

Sturgeon Lakes

Found together in 29 lakes · 34 total

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