Smallmouth Bass Lakes in Wisconsin

Found in 422 Wisconsin lakes

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. 422 lakes in our dataset have documented Smallmouth Bass. Smallmouth Bass is moderately distributed — present in 0 Minnesota lakes and 422 Wisconsin lakes. Some counties have it, others do not, so checking the per-lake pages matters.

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 the LakeGrade rubric, 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.

422

Wisconsin Lakes

Avg. Grade

291

Grade A Lakes

Counties

Best Smallmouth Bass Lakes in Wisconsin

Rank	Lake	County	Grade	Clarity	Depth
1	Geneva Lake	Walworth	A	19 ft	135 ft
2	Lac Courte Oreilles Lake	Sawyer	A	38.7 ft	90 ft
3	Sunset Lake	Vilas	A	56.5 ft	30 ft
4	Grindstone Lake	Sawyer	A	57.7 ft	60 ft
5	Middle Sugarbush Lake	Vilas	A	50 ft	57 ft
6	Windigo Lake	Sawyer	A	36.1 ft	51 ft
7	West Bay Lake	Vilas	A	27.9 ft	57 ft
8	West Bay Lake	Vilas	A	42.7 ft	31 ft
9	Long Lake	Waupaca	A	44.3 ft	76 ft
10	Long Lake	Chippewa	A	32.8 ft	101 ft
11	Long Lake	Iron	A	18 ft	34 ft
12	Chain Lake	Chippewa	A	16.4 ft	74 ft
13	Upper Eau Claire Lake	Bayfield	A	61.5 ft	92 ft
14	Spring Lake	Waukesha	A	-	22 ft
15	Black Hawk Lake	Iowa	A	17.2 ft	42 ft
16	Spider Lake	Vilas	A	36.9 ft	43 ft
17	Spider Lake	Sawyer	A	32.8 ft	64 ft
18	Silver Lake	Kenosha	A	25.5 ft	44 ft
19	Silver Lake	Barron	A	42.7 ft	91 ft
20	Silver Lake	Forest	A	42.7 ft	-
21	Lac la Belle Lake	Waukesha	A	16.4 ft	45 ft
22	Dead Pike Lake	Vilas	A	24.6 ft	80 ft
23	Stella Lake	Oneida	A	26.2 ft	22 ft
24	Spencer Lake	Waupaca	A	27.9 ft	53 ft
25	Birch Lake	Vilas	A	21.3 ft	45 ft
26	Round Lake	Sawyer	A	68.2 ft	74 ft
27	Round Lake	Waupaca	A	49.2 ft	67 ft
28	Boulder Lake	Oconto	A	36.1 ft	-
29	Hammil Lake	Bayfield	A	48.4 ft	47 ft
30	Big Portage Lake	Vilas	A	62.3 ft	40 ft
31	Bear Lake	Oneida	A	27.7 ft	20 ft
32	Bear Lake	Barron	A	20.5 ft	87 ft
33	Big Lake	Vilas	A	-	30 ft
34	Pine Lake	Iron	A	19.7 ft	41 ft
35	Pine Lake	Waukesha	A	82 ft	85 ft
36	Murphy Lake	Vilas	A	24 ft	52 ft
37	Planting Ground Lake	Oneida	A	17.2 ft	37 ft
38	Little Sissabagama Lake	Sawyer	A	39.4 ft	75 ft
39	Upper Kaubashine Lake	Oneida	A	59.1 ft	56 ft
40	Rock Lake	Jefferson	A	39.4 ft	60 ft
41	Cedar Lake	Iron	A	24.8 ft	21 ft
42	Little Crawling Stone Lake	Vilas	A	49.2 ft	44 ft
43	White Birch Lake	Vilas	A	52.5 ft	27 ft
44	Island Lake	Rusk	A	23.8 ft	54 ft
45	Island Lake	Vilas	A	30.8 ft	35 ft
46	Spirit Lake	Oneida	A	39.4 ft	39 ft
47	Katinka Lake	Vilas	A	60.2 ft	60 ft
48	Lake of the Falls	Iron	A	16.4 ft	23 ft
49	Loon Lake	Vilas	A	47.6 ft	-
50	Buffalo Lake	Oneida	A	48.4 ft	27 ft

Showing top 50 of 422 lakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Wisconsin lakes have smallmouth bass?

Smallmouth Bass are found in 422 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 Geneva Lake, Lac Courte Oreilles Lake, Sunset Lake, Grindstone Lake, Middle Sugarbush Lake.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.