Smallmouth bass Lakes in Minnesota, Wisconsin & Michigan

Other SpeciesFound in 117 lakes

Rough fish like Smallmouth bass are often associated with eutrophic, nutrient-loaded waters. Their presence — documented in 117 Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan lakes — is often a signal of how the rest of the fishery is functioning. Smallmouth 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 Smallmouth bass lake list below against the LakeGrade rubric: lakes with both an A or B grade and Smallmouth bass documented are the best places to start for recreational targeting.

117

Total Lakes

117

Michigan lakes →

Avg. Grade

55 ft

Avg. Depth

Water Quality of Smallmouth bass Lakes

405

41%

249

25%

167

17%

118

12%

Best Smallmouth bass Lakes by Water Quality

Top 50 lakes with smallmouth 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	Round Lake	Cook	MN	A	45 ft	5
5	Long Lake	Cass	MN	A	37 ft	12
6	Ossawinnamakee Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	63 ft	18
7	Clear Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	63 ft	15
8	Clear Lake	Aitkin	MN	A	24 ft	14
9	Ida Lake	Douglas	MN	A	106 ft	19
10	Fish Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	69 ft	17
11	Birch Lake	Cook	MN	A	69 ft	3
12	Birch Lake	Unknown	MN	A	34 ft	10
13	Girl Lake	Cass	MN	A	81 ft	18
14	Bass Lake	Itasca	MN	A	65 ft	7
15	Bass Lake	Cass	MN	A	55 ft	12
16	Crooked Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	54 ft	16
17	Pelican Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	55 ft	20
18	Lower Bottle Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	110 ft	13
19	Big Pine Lake	Aitkin	MN	A	78 ft	15
20	Strawberry Lake	Becker	MN	A	40 ft	16
21	Alexander Lake	Morrison	MN	A	64 ft	19
22	Gull Lake	Cass	MN	A	80 ft	22
23	Lower Hay Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	100 ft	21
24	Latoka Lake	Douglas	MN	A	108 ft	16
25	Pike Lake	Cook	MN	A	45 ft	7
26	Trout Lake	Itasca	MN	A	135 ft	15
27	Trout Lake	Itasca	MN	A	157 ft	9
28	Cowdry Lake	Douglas	MN	A	52 ft	19
29	Bear Lake	Lake	MN	A	31 ft	4
30	Blue Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	84 ft	13
31	Sand Lake	Cass	MN	A	54 ft	12
32	Island Lake	Becker	MN	A	38 ft	15
33	Island Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	76 ft	19
34	Portage Lake	Cass	MN	A	84 ft	10
35	Lizzie Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	66 ft	21
36	Eagles Nest Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	49 ft	9
37	Mukooda Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	78 ft	14
38	Pokegama Lake	Itasca	MN	A	112 ft	19
39	George Lake	Kandiyohi	MN	A	34 ft	15
40	Middle Cormorant Lake	Becker	MN	A	40 ft	13
41	Upper Bottle Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	55 ft	14
42	Wabana Lake	Itasca	MN	A	115 ft	14
43	Caribou Lake	Itasca	MN	A	152 ft	7
44	Kimball Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	77 ft	16
45	Serpent Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	65 ft	17
46	Miltona Lake	Douglas	MN	A	105 ft	19
47	Hatch Lake	Itasca	MN	A	88 ft	15
48	North Twin Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	59 ft	12
49	North Star Lake	Itasca	MN	A	90 ft	13
50	Pleasant Lake	Cass	MN	A	72 ft	15

Showing top 50 of 994 lakes with smallmouth bass.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many lakes have smallmouth bass?

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

What are the best lakes for smallmouth bass?

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

What other fish are found with smallmouth bass?

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

Other Fish Species in Smallmouth bass Lakes

Walleye Lakes

Found together in 435 lakes · 840 total

Northern pike Lakes

Found together in 419 lakes · 99 total

Yellow Perch Lakes

Found together in 419 lakes · 113 total

Panfish Lakes

Found together in 406 lakes · 1,148 total

White sucker Lakes

Found together in 405 lakes · 121 total

Walleye Lakes

Found together in 400 lakes · 840 total

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.