Smallmouth Bass Lakes in Wisconsin

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

Smallmouth Bass is one of the headline game-fish species in Wisconsin — the kind of catch that anchors fishing trips, cabin weekends, and the regional fishing economy. 953 lakes in our dataset have documented Smallmouth Bass. 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 Wisconsin 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.

412

Wisconsin Lakes

Avg. Grade

Grade A Lakes

Counties

Smallmouth Bass Lakes Map

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

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Best Smallmouth Bass Lakes in Wisconsin

Rank	Lake	County	Grade	Clarity	Depth
1	Green Lake	Green Lake	A	13.5 ft	236 ft
2	Okauchee Lake	Waukesha	A	11.5 ft	90 ft
3	Geneva Lake	Walworth	A	21 ft	135 ft
4	Powers Lake	Kenosha	A	10 ft	33 ft
5	Lac Courte Oreilles Lake	Sawyer	A	12.2 ft	90 ft
6	Whitefish Lake	Sawyer	A	13.5 ft	105 ft
7	Round Lake	Sawyer	A	21.1 ft	74 ft
8	Big Sand Lake	Burnett	A	11 ft	55 ft
9	Little Lac Courte Oreilles Lake	Sawyer	A	12 ft	46 ft
10	Sand Lake	Sawyer	A	10 ft	50 ft
11	Ashegon Lake	Sawyer	A	10.5 ft	56 ft
12	Blueberry Lake	Sawyer	A	14.8 ft	29 ft
13	Little Round Lake	Sawyer	A	17.3 ft	38 ft
14	Osprey Lake	Sawyer	A	16 ft	32 ft
15	Grindstone Lake	Sawyer	A	17.4 ft	60 ft
16	Lake St Croix	St. Croix	B	5.6 ft	60 ft
17	Boulder Lake	Vilas	B	5.6 ft	23 ft
18	Boulder Lake	Oconto	B	11 ft	11 ft
19	Lake Noquebay	Marinette	B	7.3 ft	51 ft
20	Spider Lake	Sawyer	B	10.5 ft	64 ft
21	Spider Lake	Vilas	B	10.5 ft	43 ft
22	Carpenter Lake	Vilas	B	7.5 ft	16 ft
23	Beaver Dam Lake	Barron	B	11 ft	106 ft
24	North Turtle Lake	Vilas	B	8.5 ft	58 ft
25	Silver Lake	Kenosha	B	7.1 ft	44 ft
26	Silver Lake	Barron	B	13 ft	91 ft
27	Silver Lake	Forest	B	13 ft	20 ft
28	Plum Lake	Vilas	B	14.2 ft	57 ft
29	Whitefish Lake	Oneida	B	8.8 ft	33 ft
30	Whitefish Lake	Douglas	B	25 ft	102 ft
31	Round Lake	Oneida	B	4.4 ft	15 ft
32	Cedar Lake	Iron	B	7.5 ft	21 ft
33	Bass Lake	Oneida	B	6 ft	20 ft
34	Clear Lake	Rusk	B	13.7 ft	74 ft
35	Clear Lake	Oneida	B	-	95 ft
36	Spencer Lake	Waupaca	B	8.5 ft	53 ft
37	Rice Lake	Iron	B	5 ft	21 ft
38	Little Spider Lake	Vilas	B	16 ft	23 ft
39	Indian Lake	Oneida	B	11 ft	26 ft
40	Tom Doyle Lake	Oneida	B	7 ft	30 ft
41	Lake Lucerne	Forest	B	18.7 ft	73 ft
42	Oxbow Lake	Vilas	B	8 ft	44 ft
43	Bear Lake	Oneida	B	8 ft	20 ft
44	Bear Lake	Barron	B	6.2 ft	87 ft
45	Long Lake	Waupaca	B	13 ft	76 ft
46	Long Lake	Chippewa	B	13.1 ft	101 ft
47	Lake Metonga	Forest	B	22 ft	79 ft
48	Birch Lake	Vilas	B	6.5 ft	45 ft
49	Rush Lake	Vilas	B	5 ft	7 ft
50	Rock Lake	Jefferson	B	12 ft	60 ft

Showing top 50 of 412 lakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Wisconsin lakes have smallmouth bass?

Smallmouth Bass are found in 412 lakes in Wisconsin. The average water quality grade of these lakes is B (Good).

What are the best smallmouth bass lakes in Wisconsin?

The best smallmouth bass lakes in Wisconsin by water quality are Green Lake, Okauchee Lake, Geneva Lake, Powers Lake, Lac Courte Oreilles Lake.

Fish species from state agency survey, stocking, and public fishing-access records; water-quality grades from the EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys.