Rock bass Lakes in Minnesota, Wisconsin & Michigan

Other SpeciesFound in 117 lakes

Rock bass is a rough-fish species — typically common in productive, nutrient-rich lakes, sometimes treated as a management nuisance by anglers targeting game-fish. 117 lakes carry documentation. Rock bass is moderately distributed — 117 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 Rock bass lake list below against the LakeGrade rubric: lakes with both an A or B grade and Rock bass documented are the best places to start for recreational targeting.

117

Total Lakes

117

Michigan lakes →

Avg. Grade

59 ft

Avg. Depth

Water Quality of Rock bass Lakes

377

45%

249

29%

133

16%

Best Rock bass Lakes by Water Quality

Top 50 lakes with rock 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	Horseshoe Lake	Cass	MN	A	51 ft	12
5	Long Lake	Cass	MN	A	115 ft	14
6	Long Lake	Clearwater	MN	A	80 ft	15
7	Long Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	87 ft	11
8	Long Lake	Becker	MN	A	61 ft	16
9	Long Lake	Cass	MN	A	37 ft	12
10	Long Lake	Itasca	MN	A	72 ft	10
11	Long Lake	Itasca	MN	A	85 ft	12
12	Ossawinnamakee Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	63 ft	18
13	Clear Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	63 ft	15
14	Clear Lake	Aitkin	MN	A	24 ft	14
15	Eagle Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	46 ft	10
16	West Fox Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	55 ft	15
17	Spearhead Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	81 ft	17
18	Ida Lake	Douglas	MN	A	106 ft	19
19	Star Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	83 ft	12
20	Star Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	94 ft	17
21	Fish Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	69 ft	17
22	Birch Lake	Unknown	MN	A	34 ft	10
23	Girl Lake	Cass	MN	A	81 ft	18
24	Little Toad Lake	Becker	MN	A	65 ft	15
25	Bass Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	47 ft	14
26	Bass Lake	Itasca	MN	A	65 ft	7
27	Bass Lake	Cass	MN	A	55 ft	12
28	Crooked Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	54 ft	16
29	Cedar Lake	Morrison	MN	A	88 ft	14
30	Pelican Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	55 ft	20
31	Lower Bottle Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	110 ft	13
32	Big Pine Lake	Aitkin	MN	A	78 ft	15
33	Strawberry Lake	Becker	MN	A	40 ft	16
34	Alexander Lake	Morrison	MN	A	64 ft	19
35	Mcavity Lake	Itasca	MN	A	29 ft	9
36	Gull Lake	Cass	MN	A	80 ft	22
37	Deep Portage Lake	Cass	MN	A	105 ft	9
38	Lower Hay Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	100 ft	21
39	Latoka Lake	Douglas	MN	A	108 ft	16
40	Pike Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	60 ft	9
41	Unnamed Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	95 ft	17
42	Maple Lake	Itasca	MN	A	39 ft	13
43	Shallow Lake	Itasca	MN	A	85 ft	12
44	Trout Lake	Itasca	MN	A	135 ft	15
45	Trout Lake	Itasca	MN	A	157 ft	9
46	Cowdry Lake	Douglas	MN	A	52 ft	19
47	Blue Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	84 ft	13
48	Sand Lake	Cass	MN	A	54 ft	12
49	Andrusia Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	60 ft	21
50	Big Mcdonald Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	46 ft	15

Showing top 50 of 846 lakes with rock bass.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many lakes have rock bass?

Rock bass are found in 117 graded lakes: 117 in Michigan. The average water quality grade of lakes with rock bass is B (Good).

What are the best lakes for rock bass?

The best rock bass lakes by water quality are East Fox Lake, North Long Lake, Bad Medicine Lake, Horseshoe Lake, Long Lake. These lakes have the highest water quality grades among all lakes where rock bass have been documented by state DNR surveys.

What other fish are found with rock bass?

Rock bass are most commonly found alongside rock bass, northern pike, yellow perch, bluegill, walleye. These species share similar habitat preferences in the region's lakes.

Other Fish Species in Rock bass Lakes

Northern pike Lakes

Found together in 719 lakes · 99 total

Yellow Perch Lakes

Found together in 707 lakes · 113 total

Bluegill Lakes

Found together in 685 lakes · 240 total

Walleye Lakes

Found together in 677 lakes · 840 total

Black Crappie Lakes

Found together in 666 lakes · 41 total

Largemouth bass Lakes

Found together in 651 lakes · 172 total

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.