Little Bass Lake
Lake County, Michigan53 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Little Bass Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
Little Bass Lake in Lake County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 18.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 7 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.1 µg/L. Surface area: 53 acres.
Little Bass Lake is a 53-acre mesotrophic lake in Lake County, Michigan. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 1 documented fish species including Lake herring. Compared to the 6 other monitored lakes in Lake County, Little Bass Lake ranks #6 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2023-09-15. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Little Bass Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water18.3 ft of visibility
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Little Bass Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Little Bass Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Little Bass Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Crystal clear, you can see 18.3 ft down. Phosphorus 7 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3.1 µg/L. TSI 36.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 18.3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 7µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 3.1µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 36 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Little Bass Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Little Bass Lake typically sits around 64°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 62°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 65°F) and coldest in May (about 52°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (52°F) to its warmest (65°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 345 field readings (2021–2023) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Little Bass Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Surface area
53 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Little Bass Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Little Bass Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Little Bass Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Little Bass Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2019–2023).
Water clarity
Stable5 years
Phosphorus
Improving-0.17 µg/L/yr4 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-3.8 µg/L/yr3 years
Nearby Lakes in Lake County
Frequently asked questions about Little Bass Lake
Where is Little Bass Lake?
- Little Bass Lake is a lake in Lake County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Little Bass Lake?
- Little Bass Lake in Lake County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 18.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 7 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.1 µg/L. Surface area: 53 acres.
Is Little Bass Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Little Bass Lake?
- Little Bass Lake typically sits around 64°F at the surface in September, from 345 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2021–2023). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
What fish are in Little Bass Lake?
- Fish species found in Little Bass Lake include Lake herring. Little Bass Lake is located in Lake County, Michigan.
Explore Little Bass Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
70 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2021–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- Michigan EGLE - MiCorps
21MICH_MICORPS70 samples · 2021–2023
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.