Best Bass Lakes in Minnesota & Wisconsin

Top 50 bass lakes ranked by water quality grade. Includes both largemouth and smallmouth bass. Smallmouth bass prefer clear, rocky lakes while largemouth thrive in warmer waters with vegetation.

Rank	Lake	County	State	Grade	Clarity	Depth	Bass Type
1	Pokegama Lake	Itasca	MN	A	57.4 ft	112 ft	Both
2	Sturgeon Lake	Pine	MN	A	55 ft	-	Both
3	Caribou Lake	Itasca	MN	A	31 ft	152 ft	Both
4	Bad Medicine Lake	Becker	MN	A	25 ft	84 ft	Both
5	Serpent Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	25 ft	65 ft	Both
6	Big Cormorant Lake	Becker	MN	A	24.3 ft	75 ft	Both
7	Stony Lake	Cass	MN	A	23.3 ft	50 ft	Both
8	Big Sand Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	23 ft	135 ft	Both
9	Potato Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	23 ft	76 ft	Both
10	Belle Taine Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	22.8 ft	56 ft	Both
11	Little Jay Gould Lake	Itasca	MN	A	21.5 ft	56 ft	Both
12	Sand Lake	Cass	MN	A	21 ft	54 ft	Both
13	Little Long Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	21 ft	45 ft	Both
14	Gilmore Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	20.5 ft	54 ft	Both
15	Ossawinnamakee Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	20 ft	63 ft	Both
16	Ten Mile Lake	Cass	MN	A	20 ft	208 ft	Both
17	Little Sand Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	20 ft	80 ft	Both
18	Thunder Lake	Cass	MN	A	20 ft	95 ft	Both
19	Lower Hay Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	20 ft	100 ft	Both
20	Emma Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	19.5 ft	50 ft	Both
21	Big Bass Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	19.4 ft	60 ft	Both
22	East Silent Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	19.4 ft	48 ft	Both
23	Lower Hay Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	19 ft	100 ft	Both
24	Latoka Lake	Douglas	MN	A	19 ft	108 ft	Both
25	North Star Lake	Itasca	MN	A	19 ft	90 ft	Both
26	Black Oak Lake	Vilas	WI	A	88.6 ft	85 ft	Both
27	Bardon Lake	Douglas	WI	A	88.6 ft	102 ft	Both
28	Whitefish Lake	Douglas	WI	A	86.9 ft	102 ft	Both
29	Pine Lake	Waukesha	WI	A	82 ft	85 ft	Both
30	Whitefish Lake	Douglas	WI	A	82 ft	102 ft	Both
31	Maiden Lake	Oconto	WI	A	80.4 ft	52 ft	Both
32	Lake Owen	Bayfield	WI	A	78.7 ft	95 ft	Both
33	Stone Lake	Washburn	WI	A	75.5 ft	49 ft	Both
34	Blue Lake	Oneida	WI	A	73.8 ft	49 ft	Both
35	Lake Metonga	Forest	WI	A	72.2 ft	79 ft	Both
36	Forest Lake	Vilas	WI	A	72.2 ft	60 ft	Both
37	Wheeler Lake	Oconto	WI	A	72.2 ft	-	Both
38	Lee Lake	Oneida	WI	A	71.4 ft	44 ft	Both
39	Buskey Bay Lake	Bayfield	WI	A	70.9 ft	51 ft	Both
40	Hart Lake	Bayfield	WI	A	70.5 ft	54 ft	Both
41	Hasbrook Lake	Oneida	WI	A	68.9 ft	50 ft	Both
42	Carlin Lake	Vilas	WI	A	68.9 ft	36 ft	Both
43	Sea Lion Lake	Florence	WI	A	68.9 ft	82 ft	Both
44	Round Lake	Sawyer	WI	A	68.2 ft	74 ft	Both
45	Paya Lake	Oconto	WI	A	65.6 ft	40 ft	Both
46	White Sand Lake	Vilas	WI	A	65.6 ft	71 ft	Both
47	Bony Lake	Bayfield	WI	A	64.8 ft	55 ft	Both
48	Twin Bear Lake	Bayfield	WI	A	64 ft	59 ft	Both
49	Alva Lake	Oneida	WI	A	62.8 ft	43 ft	Both
50	Big Portage Lake	Vilas	WI	A	62.3 ft	40 ft	Both

Largemouth vs. Smallmouth Bass Habitat

Smallmouth bass are a coldwater-edge species that prefer clear, deep lakes with rocky structure. They thrive in A and B graded lakes with high water clarity and moderate temperatures. Look for lakes with Secchi depth over 8 feet for the best smallmouth fishing.

Largemouth bass tolerate a wider range of water quality and prefer warmer, shallower lakes with aquatic vegetation. They can be found in lakes graded C and above. Weed beds, lily pads, and fallen timber are key habitat features.

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