Best Bass Lakes: Top 50 Largemouth & Smallmouth (MN, WI & MI)

Rank	Lake	County	State	Grade	Clarity	Depth	Bass Type
1	East Vadnais Lake	Ramsey	MN	A	-	58 ft	Both
2	Round Lake	Sawyer	WI	A	21.1 ft	74 ft	Both
3	Round Lake Central Basin	Lenawee	MI	A	12 ft	-	Both
4	Bad Medicine Lake	Becker	MN	A	25 ft	84 ft	Both
5	Geneva Lake	Walworth	WI	A	21 ft	135 ft	Both
6	Round Lake	Benzie	MI	A	15 ft	-	Both
7	Serpent Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	25 ft	65 ft	Both
8	Grindstone Lake	Sawyer	WI	A	17.4 ft	60 ft	Both
9	Otter Lake	Benzie	MI	A	12 ft	-	Both
10	Big Cormorant Lake	Becker	MN	A	24.8 ft	75 ft	Both
11	Little Round Lake	Sawyer	WI	A	17.3 ft	38 ft	Both
12	Lake George; Central Deep Basin; Lincoln Township	Clare	MI	A	-	-	Both
13	Big Sand Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	23 ft	135 ft	Both
14	Osprey Lake	Sawyer	WI	A	16 ft	32 ft	Both
15	Big Twin Lake Southeast Basin; Blue Lake Township	Kalkaska	MI	A	23 ft	-	Smallmouth
16	Stony Lake	Cass	MN	A	23 ft	50 ft	Both
17	Blueberry Lake	Sawyer	WI	A	14.8 ft	29 ft	Both
18	Whitefish Lake Southeast Basin; Pierson Township	Montcalm	MI	A	16 ft	-	Largemouth
19	Belle Taine Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	22.8 ft	56 ft	Both
20	Green Lake	Green Lake	WI	A	13.5 ft	236 ft	Both
21	Emerald Lake	Kent	MI	A	12 ft	-	Largemouth
22	Little Jay Gould Lake	Itasca	MN	A	21.5 ft	56 ft	Both
23	Whitefish Lake	Sawyer	WI	A	13.5 ft	105 ft	Both
24	Loon Lake; Lake Twp	Benzie	MI	A	12 ft	-	Largemouth
25	Ten Mile Lake	Cass	MN	A	20.5 ft	208 ft	Both
26	Lac Courte Oreilles Lake	Sawyer	WI	A	12.2 ft	90 ft	Both
27	Crystal Lake	Hillsdale	MI	A	9.5 ft	-	Both
28	Gilmore Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	20.3 ft	54 ft	Both
29	Big Sand Lake	Burnett	WI	A	11 ft	55 ft	Both
30	Big Star Lake Central Basin; Lake Township	Lake	MI	A	8 ft	-	Both
31	Ossawinnamakee Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	20 ft	63 ft	Both
32	Ashegon Lake	Sawyer	WI	A	10.5 ft	56 ft	Both
33	Murray Lake East Basin; Grattan Township	Kent	MI	A	7.2 ft	-	Largemouth
34	Little Sand Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	20 ft	80 ft	Both
35	Powers Lake	Kenosha	WI	A	10 ft	33 ft	Both
36	Little Platte Lake North Basin	Benzie	MI	A	6.5 ft	-	Both
37	Big Bass Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	19.4 ft	60 ft	Both
38	Sand Lake	Sawyer	WI	A	10 ft	50 ft	Both
39	Shingle Lake South Basin; Lincoln Township	Clare	MI	A	-	-	Largemouth
40	Big Deep Lake	Cass	MN	A	19.4 ft	107 ft	Both
41	Mission Lake	Shawano	WI	A	17.5 ft	44 ft	Largemouth
42	Big Blue Lake North Basin; Blue Lake Township	Kalkaska	MI	A	-	-	Smallmouth
43	East Silent Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	19.2 ft	48 ft	Both
44	Malone Lake	Shawano	WI	A	13.5 ft	31 ft	Largemouth
45	Twin Lakes; Grayling Twp	Crawford	MI	A	19 ft	-	Largemouth
46	Latoka Lake	Douglas	MN	A	19 ft	108 ft	Both
47	Christner Lake	Sawyer	WI	A	12 ft	16 ft	Largemouth
48	Lime Lake	Benzie	MI	A	17.5 ft	-	Largemouth
49	North Star Lake	Itasca	MN	A	19 ft	90 ft	Both
50	Big Cedar Lake-North Site-Near West Bend	Washington	WI	A	11.8 ft	105 ft	Largemouth

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.

Cleanest Lakes →Worst Water Quality →Clearest Water →Improving →Declining →

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