What is the best fishing lake near Madison?

Lake Wingra in Dane County is the top-ranked fishing lake near Madison on measured water quality (1.8 miles away).

How many lakes are near Madison for fishing?

30 lakes within driving distance of Madison match the fishing filters used on this page.

Best Lakes for Fishing Near Madison, WI

30 fishing lakes within driving distance of Madison, Wisconsin, ranked by water quality and fishing-specific filters. Filtered for documented fish species (3+) and public access. Ranked by water quality and species diversity.

Within reasonable driving distance of Madison sit 30 measured lakes, a lake-dense area that gives residents real choice on any given weekend.

Filtered for fishing, the nearby-lake list narrows further. fishing-specific signals, fish species, public access, depth profile, motor-boat congestion, interact with the water-quality readings in different ways depending on the use case.

#	Lake	County	Distance	Clarity	Depth
1	Lake Wingra	Dane	1.8 mi	4 ft	14 ft
2	Lake Waubesa	Dane	6 mi	3.2 ft	38 ft
3	Lake Ripley	Jefferson	21.2 mi	9 ft	44 ft
4	Rock Lake	Jefferson	23.7 mi	12 ft	60 ft
5	Silver Lake	Columbia	33.3 mi	8.8 ft	42 ft
6	Whitewater Lake	Walworth	41.6 mi	4 ft	35 ft
7	Blue Spring Lake	Jefferson	43.2 mi	6.2 ft	27 ft
8	Turtle Lake	Walworth	43.6 mi	11 ft	30 ft
9	Golden Lake	Waukesha	43.8 mi	12.8 ft	44 ft
10	Black Hawk Lake	Iowa	44.6 mi	5 ft	42 ft
11	Lac la Belle Lake	Waukesha	44.8 mi	4.8 ft	45 ft
12	School Section Lake	Waukesha	45.8 mi	6.2 ft	8 ft
13	Fowler Lake	Waukesha	45.9 mi	14.5 ft	50 ft
14	Silver Lake	Waukesha	46.1 mi	10 ft	40 ft
15	Pretty Lake	Waukesha	46.4 mi	12.2 ft	31 ft
16	Green Lake	Walworth	46.7 mi	11 ft	57 ft
17	Middle Lake	Walworth	47.1 mi	10 ft	40 ft
18	Pleasant Lake	Walworth	47.2 mi	12 ft	29 ft
19	Ashippun Lake	Waukesha	47.3 mi	10 ft	35 ft
20	Mill Lake	Walworth	47.3 mi	7.5 ft	40 ft
21	Ottawa Lake	Waukesha	47.4 mi	13 ft	16 ft
22	Oconomowoc Lake	Waukesha	47.5 mi	12.5 ft	60 ft
23	Crooked Lake	Waukesha	47.8 mi	8 ft	16 ft
24	Hunters Lake	Waukesha	47.9 mi	9.5 ft	36 ft
25	Jordan Lake	Adams	47.9 mi	13 ft	92 ft
26	Lower Nashotah Lake	Waukesha	48.9 mi	9 ft	43 ft
27	Lower Nemahbin Lake	Waukesha	48.9 mi	10.9 ft	36 ft
28	Upper Nemahbin Lake	Waukesha	49 mi	12 ft	60 ft
29	Okauchee Lake Site	Waukesha	49.1 mi	4.6 ft	90 ft
30	Crooked Lake	Adams	49.2 mi	9 ft	56 ft

Other activities near Madison

Kayaking near Madison →Boating near Madison →All lakes near Madison →

Where to stay near Madison

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Madison — book a place close to the best-rated lakes in the area.

Top-rated places to stay near Madison

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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.