Smallmouth Bass Lakes in Minnesota

Found in 427 Minnesota lakes · 412 in Wisconsin · 114 in Michigan

Smallmouth Bass is a primary Minnesota sport-fishing target. 953 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: 427 lakes in Minnesota, 412 in Wisconsin, and 114 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. On our A–F scale, the cleanest Smallmouth Bass lakes tend to also be the highest-graded — the same water-clarity and nutrient conditions that support the species also produce the higher grades.

427

Minnesota Lakes

Avg. Grade

191

Grade A Lakes

Counties

Smallmouth Bass Lakes Map

Every Minnesota lake with documented smallmouth bass, colored by water-quality grade.

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Best Smallmouth Bass Lakes in Minnesota

Rank	Lake	County	Grade	Clarity	Depth
1	Lobster Lake	Douglas	A	13 ft	65 ft
2	East Fox Lake	Crow Wing	A	16.4 ft	65 ft
3	Clearwater Lake	Crow Wing	A	13 ft	54 ft
4	Lower Hay Lake	Crow Wing	A	18.5 ft	100 ft
5	Latoka Lake	Douglas	A	19 ft	108 ft
6	Little Birch Lake	Todd	A	13 ft	89 ft
7	North Long Lake	Crow Wing	A	15.1 ft	97 ft
8	Bad Medicine Lake	Becker	A	25 ft	84 ft
9	Big Lake	Beltrami	A	9.7 ft	35 ft
10	Big Lake	St. Louis	A	8.2 ft	22 ft
11	Pelican Lake	Otter Tail	A	16.4 ft	55 ft
12	Pelican Lake	Crow Wing	A	14.3 ft	104 ft
13	Birch Lake	Cook	A	18 ft	69 ft
14	Round Lake	Aitkin	A	14.5 ft	125 ft
15	Round Lake	Crow Wing	A	13.5 ft	51 ft
16	Round Lake	Cook	A	16.5 ft	45 ft
17	Pike Lake	Cook	A	17.4 ft	45 ft
18	Whitefish Lake	Crow Wing	A	14.4 ft	138 ft
19	Farm Lake	Lake	A	5.5 ft	56 ft
20	Washburn Lake	Cass	A	14.1 ft	111 ft
21	Long Lake	Hubbard	A	11.2 ft	135 ft
22	Dead Lake	Otter Tail	A	10.2 ft	65 ft
23	Maple Lake	Douglas	A	14.1 ft	78 ft
24	West Twin Lake	Crow Wing	A	13.3 ft	42 ft
25	Shallow Lake	Hubbard	A	8.2 ft	10 ft
26	Trout Lake	Itasca	A	18 ft	157 ft
27	Detroit Lake	Becker	A	14 ft	89 ft
28	Deer Lake	Itasca	A	8.9 ft	50 ft
29	Deer Lake	Itasca	A	13.1 ft	121 ft
30	Lida Lake	Otter Tail	A	14 ft	58 ft
31	Cowdry Lake	Douglas	A	17.1 ft	52 ft
32	Big Spunk Lake	Stearns	A	10 ft	38 ft
33	Ossawinnamakee Lake	Crow Wing	A	20 ft	63 ft
34	Clear Lake	Crow Wing	A	18 ft	63 ft
35	Clear Lake	Aitkin	A	15 ft	24 ft
36	Garden Lake	Lake	A	5 ft	55 ft
37	Bear Lake	Lake	A	17.4 ft	31 ft
38	Sullivan Lake	Morrison	A	10.8 ft	57 ft
39	Blue Lake	Hubbard	A	17.3 ft	84 ft
40	Eagle Lake	Kandiyohi	A	6.9 ft	67 ft
41	Darling Lake	Douglas	A	14 ft	62 ft
42	Ida Lake	Douglas	A	16.4 ft	106 ft
43	Fish Lake	Otter Tail	A	18 ft	69 ft
44	Green Lake	Kandiyohi	A	14.1 ft	110 ft
45	Girl Lake	Cass	A	17.6 ft	81 ft
46	Upper Gull Lake	Cass	A	9.5 ft	54 ft
47	Bass Lake	Wright	A	13.5 ft	34 ft
48	Bass Lake	Mahnomen	A	13.1 ft	26 ft
49	Bass Lake	Itasca	A	18.2 ft	65 ft
50	Island Lake	Becker	A	15 ft	38 ft

Showing top 50 of 427 lakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Minnesota lakes have smallmouth bass?

Smallmouth Bass are found in 427 lakes in Minnesota. The average water quality grade of these lakes is B (Good).

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 grades from the EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys.