Smallmouth Bass Lakes in Minnesota
Found in 404 Minnesota lakes · 366 in Wisconsin · 101 in Michigan
Smallmouth Bass is a primary Minnesota sport-fishing target. 871 lakes have an official record of the species — the actual population almost certainly extends further, since not every lake gets a full DNR fishery survey every year. Smallmouth Bass is widely distributed: 404 lakes in Minnesota, 366 in Wisconsin, and 101 in Michigan. That breadth means anglers across most of the coverage area can find a documented Smallmouth Bass lake within a reasonable drive.
Game-fish presence on a Minnesota lake also signals enough water-quality stability to support the prey species the game fish depend on — perch, alewife, ciscoes — which themselves require reasonably oxygenated, clear water. The Smallmouth Bass lakes with the lowest nutrient and algae readings tend to be the ones where the species does best, since the same water-clarity and nutrient conditions support both.
Smallmouth Bass Lakes Map
Every Minnesota lake with documented smallmouth bass.
Best Smallmouth Bass Lakes in Minnesota
Catch per net is how many smallmouth bass MPCA counted in each standard electrofishing on that lake’s most recent survey.
Catch per net measures abundance in the survey, not size or fishing pressure.
| Rank | Lake | County | Smallmouth Bass per hour of electrofishing | Survey | Mean length | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blackduck Lake fishing | St. Louis | 233.38 | May 31, 2023 | 8.7 in | 1,250 |
| 2 | Crooked Lake fishing | Crow Wing | 105.88 | August 4, 2025 | 12.3 in | 905 |
| 3 | East Vermilion Lake fishing | St. Louis | 90.00 | June 1, 2025 | 10.3 in | 39,272 |
| 4 | Deer Lake fishing | Itasca | 90.00 | July 24, 2023 | 12.2 in | 4,093 |
| 5 | Pepin Lake fishing | Pepin | 67.46 | July 11, 2024 | 9.4 in | 12,299 |
| 6 | Sylvia Lake fishing | Stearns | 45.45 | July 23, 2018 | - | 85 |
| 7 | Wolf Lake fishing | St. Louis | 45.00 | July 22, 2024 | 10.6 in | 289 |
| 8 | Kabetogama Lake fishing | St. Louis | 40.27 | June 11, 2025 | 4.3 in | 24,034 |
| 9 | Hoot Lake fishing | Otter Tail | 39.43 | July 7, 2025 | 15.4 in | 161 |
| 10 | Eagles Nest Lake fishing | St. Louis | 35.18 | August 18, 2025 | - | 1,028 |
| 11 | Mille Lacs Lake fishing | Aitkin | 33.53 | April 14, 2025 | 15.1 in | 128,250 |
| 12 | Hubert Lake fishing | Crow Wing | 32.50 | August 11, 2025 | - | 1,301 |
| 13 | Boulder Lake fishing | Hubbard | 29.46 | August 21, 2023 | 10 in | 341 |
| 14 | Pelican Lake fishing | St. Louis | 19.49 | June 6, 2022 | 11.8 in | 11,546 |
| 15 | Potato Lake fishing | Hubbard | 17.20 | July 21, 2025 | - | 2,096 |
| 16 | Pokegama Lake fishing | Itasca | 17.01 | June 17, 2024 | 10 in | 6,721 |
| 17 | Zumbro Lake fishing | Olmsted | 15.87 | June 14, 2021 | 11.7 in | 715 |
| 18 | Mule Lake fishing | Cass | 13.00 | June 20, 2023 | 15.9 in | 525 |
| 19 | Broadwater Bay Lake fishing | Cass | 12.19 | May 29, 2025 | - | 5,520 |
| 20 | Moosehead Lake fishing | Carlton | 9.81 | July 10, 2023 | 11.2 in | 279 |
| 21 | Bass Lake fishing | Mahnomen | 9.42 | August 8, 2022 | - | 735 |
| 22 | Roosevelt Lake fishing | Cass | 9.03 | July 8, 2024 | - | 1,511 |
| 23 | Elk Lake fishing | Sherburne | 8.98 | July 29, 2019 | - | 357 |
| 24 | Greenwood Lake fishing | Cook | 8.90 | August 11, 2025 | 10.3 in | 2,043 |
| 25 | Lower Cullen Lake fishing | Crow Wing | 8.17 | July 19, 2021 | - | 560 |
| 26 | Ely Lake fishing | St. Louis | 7.71 | August 25, 2025 | - | 723 |
| 27 | Wall Lake fishing | Otter Tail | 6.54 | June 30, 2025 | - | 727 |
| 28 | Armstrong Lake fishing | St. Louis | 5.33 | August 9, 2021 | - | 382 |
| 29 | Alvin Lake fishing | Douglas | 5.00 | August 20, 2024 | - | 2,605 |
| 30 | Bass Lake fishing | Cass | 4.28 | July 25, 2023 | - | 195 |
| 31 | Lily Lake fishing | Itasca | 3.60 | July 25, 2022 | - | 109 |
| 32 | Blackwater Lake fishing | Cass | 3.49 | July 17, 2023 | - | 771 |
| 33 | Shallow Lake fishing | Hubbard | 3.16 | June 1, 2018 | 15.4 in | 284 |
| 34 | Bluewater Lake fishing | Itasca | 2.70 | July 16, 2024 | - | 364 |
| 35 | Zumwalde Lake fishing | Stearns | 2.40 | July 29, 2024 | - | 128 |
| 36 | Krays Lake fishing | Stearns | 1.95 | July 30, 2024 | - | 95 |
| 37 | Middle Cullen Lake fishing | Crow Wing | 1.68 | September 3, 2021 | - | 405 |
| 38 | Hinds Lake fishing | Hubbard | 1.55 | June 13, 2022 | - | 305 |
| 39 | Ida Lake fishing | Douglas | 1.50 | August 7, 2023 | - | 4,445 |
| 40 | Knaus Lake fishing | Stearns | 1.33 | July 31, 2024 | - | 216 |
| 41 | Latoka Lake fishing | Douglas | 1.29 | July 18, 2022 | - | 767 |
| 42 | Lower Orono Lake fishing | Sherburne | 1.17 | May 3, 2021 | 8 in | 301 |
| 43 | Winona Lake fishing | Winona | 1.14 | June 23, 2025 | - | 308 |
| 44 | East Fox Lake fishing | Crow Wing | 0.67 | July 28, 2025 | - | 241 |
| 45 | Burgen Lake fishing | Douglas | 0.66 | July 28, 2025 | - | 174 |
| 46 | Two Rivers Lake fishing | Stearns | 0.65 | July 8, 2024 | - | 583 |
| 47 | Ruth Lake fishing | Crow Wing | 0.55 | July 6, 2022 | - | 599 |
47 Minnesota lakes have a smallmouth bass catch rate on record from the last ten years.
Cite this data: LakeQuality. “Best Smallmouth Bass Lakes in Minnesota.” Data: Minnesota Pollution Control Agency fisheries surveys. Retrieved August 26, 2026. https://www.lakequality.org/fish/smallmouth-bass/mn
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Minnesota lakes have smallmouth bass?
Smallmouth Bass are found in 404 lakes in Minnesota.
What are the best smallmouth bass lakes in Minnesota?
The best smallmouth bass lakes in Minnesota by water quality are Lobster Lake, East Fox Lake, Clearwater Lake, Lower Hay Lake, Latoka Lake.
Fish species from state agency survey, stocking, and public fishing-access records; water-quality readings from the EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys.