Rock bass Lakes in Minnesota

Found in 729 Minnesota lakes · 117 in Michigan

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.

729

Minnesota Lakes

Avg. Grade

336

Grade A Lakes

Counties

Best Rock 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	Horseshoe Lake	Cass	A	21 ft	51 ft
5	Long Lake	Cass	A	21.5 ft	115 ft
6	Long Lake	Clearwater	A	20.5 ft	80 ft
7	Long Lake	Beltrami	A	20 ft	87 ft
8	Long Lake	Becker	A	19.3 ft	61 ft
9	Long Lake	Cass	A	17 ft	37 ft
10	Long Lake	Itasca	A	16.7 ft	72 ft
11	Long Lake	Itasca	A	16.9 ft	85 ft
12	Ossawinnamakee Lake	Crow Wing	A	20 ft	63 ft
13	Clear Lake	Crow Wing	A	18 ft	63 ft
14	Clear Lake	Aitkin	A	15 ft	24 ft
15	Eagle Lake	Otter Tail	A	22.6 ft	46 ft
16	West Fox Lake	Crow Wing	A	15 ft	55 ft
17	Spearhead Lake	Hubbard	A	15 ft	81 ft
18	Ida Lake	Douglas	A	16.4 ft	106 ft
19	Star Lake	Crow Wing	A	19 ft	83 ft
20	Star Lake	Otter Tail	A	17 ft	94 ft
21	Fish Lake	Otter Tail	A	18 ft	69 ft
22	Birch Lake	Unknown	A	15 ft	34 ft
23	Girl Lake	Cass	A	17.6 ft	81 ft
24	Little Toad Lake	Becker	A	15 ft	65 ft
25	Bass Lake	Crow Wing	A	16.1 ft	47 ft
26	Bass Lake	Itasca	A	18.2 ft	65 ft
27	Bass Lake	Cass	A	-	55 ft
28	Crooked Lake	Crow Wing	A	15 ft	54 ft
29	Cedar Lake	Morrison	A	16.2 ft	88 ft
30	Pelican Lake	Otter Tail	A	16.4 ft	55 ft
31	Lower Bottle Lake	Hubbard	A	15 ft	110 ft
32	Big Pine Lake	Aitkin	A	17 ft	78 ft
33	Strawberry Lake	Becker	A	17.5 ft	40 ft
34	Alexander Lake	Morrison	A	16.5 ft	64 ft
35	Mcavity Lake	Itasca	A	17.3 ft	29 ft
36	Gull Lake	Cass	A	15 ft	80 ft
37	Deep Portage Lake	Cass	A	15.4 ft	105 ft
38	Lower Hay Lake	Crow Wing	A	18.5 ft	100 ft
39	Latoka Lake	Douglas	A	19 ft	108 ft
40	Pike Lake	St. Louis	A	18 ft	60 ft
41	Unnamed Lake	Otter Tail	A	15.1 ft	95 ft
42	Maple Lake	Itasca	A	15.3 ft	39 ft
43	Shallow Lake	Itasca	A	16.4 ft	85 ft
44	Trout Lake	Itasca	A	16 ft	135 ft
45	Trout Lake	Itasca	A	18 ft	157 ft
46	Cowdry Lake	Douglas	A	17.1 ft	52 ft
47	Blue Lake	Hubbard	A	17.3 ft	84 ft
48	Sand Lake	Cass	A	20 ft	54 ft
49	Andrusia Lake	Beltrami	A	15.1 ft	60 ft
50	Big Mcdonald Lake	Otter Tail	A	17.4 ft	46 ft

Showing top 50 of 729 lakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Minnesota lakes have rock bass?

Rock bass are found in 729 lakes in Minnesota. The average water quality grade of these lakes is B (Good).

What are the best rock bass lakes in Minnesota?

The best rock bass lakes in Minnesota by water quality are East Fox Lake, North Long Lake, Bad Medicine Lake, Horseshoe Lake, Long Lake.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.