Best Lakes for Fishing Near Rockford
Illinois
25 fishing lakes within driving distance of Rockford, Illinois, ranked by water quality and fishing-specific filters. Filtered for documented fish species (3+) and public access. Ranked by water quality and species diversity.
Rockford sits in a lake-rich part of the upper Midwest: 25 graded lakes within reach, average grade C. Geneva Lake (A) leads the cluster.
Filtered for fishing, the nearby-lake list narrows further. fishing-specific signals — fish species, public access, depth profile, motor-boat congestion — interact with the LakeGrade rubric in different ways depending on the use case.
| # | Lake | County | Grade | Distance | Clarity | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Geneva Lake | Walworth | A | 35.8 mi | 21 ft | 135 ft |
| 2 | Powers Lake | Kenosha | A | 44.8 mi | 10 ft | 33 ft |
| 3 | Delavan Lake | Walworth | B | 34.9 mi | - | 52 ft |
| 4 | Turtle Lake | Walworth | B | 37.9 mi | 11 ft | 30 ft |
| 5 | Whitewater Lake | Walworth | B | 39.3 mi | 4 ft | 35 ft |
| 6 | Mill Lake | Walworth | B | 43.4 mi | 7.5 ft | 40 ft |
| 7 | Middle Lake | Walworth | B | 43.8 mi | 10 ft | 40 ft |
| 8 | Green Lake | Walworth | B | 44.2 mi | 11 ft | 57 ft |
| 9 | Pleasant Lake | Walworth | B | 45.1 mi | 12 ft | 29 ft |
| 10 | Lake Mary | Kenosha | B | 46.1 mi | 6.4 ft | 33 ft |
| 11 | Blue Spring Lake | Jefferson | B | 47.9 mi | 6.2 ft | 27 ft |
| 12 | Lilly Lake | Kenosha | B | 49.3 mi | 13.5 ft | 22 ft |
| 13 | Delavan Lake | Walworth | C | 33.5 mi | 8.9 ft | 52 ft |
| 14 | Clear Lake | Rock | C | 37 mi | 2.8 ft | 12 ft |
| 15 | Comus Lake | Walworth | D | 34.5 mi | 1.5 ft | 6 ft |
| 16 | Leota Lake | Rock | D | 37.2 mi | 1.5 ft | 15 ft |
| 17 | Outlet To Lake Geneva | Walworth | D | 39.2 mi | - | 135 ft |
| 18 | Rice Lake | Walworth | D | 40.2 mi | 1.7 ft | 10 ft |
| 19 | Lake Koshkonong | Jefferson | D | 40.4 mi | 1.7 ft | 7 ft |
| 20 | Lake Kegonsa | Dane | D | 48.5 mi | 3.7 ft | 32 ft |
| 21 | North Lake | Walworth | NR | 40.4 mi | 3.5 ft | 11 ft |
| 22 | Lake Wandawega | Walworth | NR | 42.3 mi | 6 ft | 8 ft |
| 23 | Lake Ivanhoe | Walworth | NR | 43.7 mi | 2.5 ft | 10 ft |
| 24 | Peters Lake | Walworth | NR | 47.6 mi | 5.6 ft | 8 ft |
| 25 | Pickerel Lake | Walworth | NR | 50 mi | 8.5 ft | 31 ft |
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.