Trout Lakes in Wisconsin, 94 Lakes

Trout species like Trout need cold, oxygen-rich water year-round — that constraint limits Trout to 94 lakes in Wisconsin, mostly the deeper or spring-fed basins. Trout is narrowly distributed — only 94 lakes in Wisconsin have a documented record. The constraint is usually habitat: cold water, specific depth profile, or river connection.

Trout presence is itself a water-quality signal: a Wisconsin lake that supports a Trout population is almost certainly running cold enough and oxygenated enough to also support healthier overall water quality. Trout-supporting lakes almost always carry low nutrient and algae readings, because the cold, deep, well-oxygenated conditions trout need produce clear, low-phosphorus water almost as a side effect.

Wisconsin Lakes

Counties

Trout Lakes Map

Every Wisconsin lake with documented trout.

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Best Trout Lakes in Wisconsin

Rank	Lake	County	Clarity	Depth
1	Green Lake	Green Lake	13.5 ft	236 ft
2	Geneva Lake	Walworth	21 ft	135 ft
3	Whitefish Lake	Sawyer	13.5 ft	105 ft
4	Ashegon Lake	Sawyer	10.5 ft	56 ft
5	Malone Lake	Shawano	13.5 ft	31 ft
6	Lake Noquebay	Marinette	7.3 ft	51 ft
7	Beaver Dam Lake	Barron	11 ft	106 ft
8	Silver Lake	Barron	13 ft	91 ft
9	Mirror Lake	Waupaca	13 ft	43 ft
10	Deep Lake	Adams	15.5 ft	49 ft
11	Beasley Lake	Waupaca	18.4 ft	47 ft
12	Clear Lake	Oneida	-	95 ft
13	Lake Lucerne	Forest	18.7 ft	73 ft
14	Long Lake	Waupaca	13 ft	76 ft
15	Rock Lake	Kenosha	10 ft	33 ft
16	Crescent Lake	Polk	4.5 ft	43 ft
17	Wolf Lake	Adams	15 ft	58 ft
18	Lake Emily	Portage	11 ft	35 ft
19	Jordan Lake	Adams	13 ft	92 ft
20	Squash Lake	Oneida	17.5 ft	74 ft
21	Bahr Lake	Shawano	6.8 ft	44 ft
22	Thunder Lake	Marinette	18 ft	62 ft
23	Krohns Lake	Kewaunee	8 ft	38 ft
24	Crystal Lake	Marquette	16.8 ft	60 ft
25	Stratton Lake	Waupaca	13 ft	42 ft
26	Wood Lake	Marquette	14 ft	53 ft
27	Horseshoe Lake	Manitowoc	6.5 ft	54 ft
28	Lower Nashotah Lake	Waukesha	9 ft	43 ft
29	Sunset Lake	Portage	13.3 ft	55 ft
30	Black Oak Lake	Vilas	29 ft	85 ft
31	Spring Lake	Manitowoc	8 ft	23 ft
32	Clark Lake	Door	12.5 ft	25 ft
33	Korth Lake	Shawano	12 ft	48 ft
34	Tozer Lake	Washburn	16 ft	53 ft
35	Moose Lake	Langlade	10 ft	20 ft
36	Moshawquit Lake	Menominee	9 ft	30 ft
37	Lost Lake	Florence	10.6 ft	45 ft
38	Columbia Lake	Waupaca	11 ft	72 ft
39	Shoe Lake	Manitowoc	7 ft	34 ft
40	Elkhart Lake	Sheboygan	10.5 ft	119 ft
41	Lake Julia	Oneida	7 ft	45 ft
42	Clarey Lake	Polk	4.3 ft	49 ft
43	Tichigan Lake	Racine	5.5 ft	63 ft
44	West Alaska Lake	Kewaunee	8.5 ft	41 ft
45	Red Bass Lake	Vilas	3.4 ft	22 ft
46	Patten Lake	Florence	10.2 ft	52 ft
47	Springville Pond	Portage	9 ft	10 ft
48	Taylor Lake	Waupaca	10 ft	58 ft
49	Little Trout Lake	Vilas	-	98 ft
50	Spring Lake	Portage	8.8 ft	42 ft

Showing top 50 of 94 lakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Wisconsin lakes have trout?

Trout are found in 94 lakes in Wisconsin.

What are the best trout lakes in Wisconsin?

The best trout lakes in Wisconsin by water quality are Green Lake, Geneva Lake, Whitefish Lake, Ashegon Lake, Malone Lake.

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