Minnesota · Wright County
Bass Lake Fishing guide
Bass Lake is a 223-acre lake in Wright County, Minnesota, reaching 34 ft at its deepest point. Secchi readings average around 13 ft of visibility. The Minnesota DNR has surveyed the lake 7 times, most recently in 2017, with walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and northern pike in the nets. That survey is 9 years old now.
DNR survey data
Fish species
No recent survey rating.
Largemouth bassGood numbers55.7per hr (electrofishing)12"Typical18"Biggest
Lengths measured · 168 fish
Recent · 2017Lengths measured · 168 fish
2017Lengths measured · 135 fish
2005Lengths measured · 4 fish
1995Only 4 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Northern pikeOne of the best around16per gill net21"Typical37"Biggest
Lengths measured · 97 fish
Recent · 2017Lengths measured · 97 fish
2017Lengths measured · 151 fish
2005Lengths measured · 137 fish
1995BluegillFair numbers42.3per trap net5"Typical7"Biggest
Lengths measured · 551 fish
Recent · 2017Lengths measured · 551 fish
2017Lengths measured · 440 fish
2005Lengths measured · 2519 fish
1995CrappieJust a few0.8per trap net8"Typical12"Biggest
Lengths measured · 25 fish
Recent · 2017Lengths measured · 25 fish
2017Lengths measured · 9 fish
2005Only 9 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Lengths measured · 8 fish
1995Only 8 fish measured that year — too few to read as a shape.
Rates come from standard DNR survey gear (gill nets, trap nets, electrofishing), judged against statewide benchmarks for the same gear, so the same number of fish per net can read differently for two species. Where the standard gear can't count a species reliably, only presence and size are listed. Typical is the middle fish of those measured. Open a row for the full length spread, survey by survey.
How to fish Bass Lake through the year
Northern pike
- Spring
- Pike are in the shallow bays and along new weed growth. At 13 ft of clarity, fish them deeper and lighter than usual.
- Early summer
- Pike are on the outside weed edge and points.
- Summer
- Pike are on the deep weed edge and points near the coolest water they can find.
- Fall
- Pike are on the last green weeds and the breaks beside them, feeding heavily as the water drops.
Largemouth bass
- Spring
- Largemouth are moving up into the warming bays and flats, staging around wood, docks and new weeds to spawn. At 13 ft of clarity, fish them deeper and lighter than usual.
- Early summer
- Largemouth are on the shallow spawning flats and protected bays, where beds go on firm bottom next to isolated cover.
- Summer
- Largemouth are in and along the weeds: cabbage and milfoil edges, matted cover and shade.
- Fall
- Largemouth are chasing bait back onto the flats and into the remaining green weeds, feeding hard and shallow before the freeze.
Season patterns for each species. Open the live map for today's wind, light and water temp.
Size history
Biggest fish by survey year
| Survey year | Northern pike | Largemouth bass | Smallmouth bass |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 37" | 18" | 18" |
| 2005 | 27" | 18" | 18" |
| 1995 | 29" | 12" | — |
Longest fish measured by DNR survey crews in each year's nets. Survey gear samples the population, so the lake usually holds larger fish than any survey measured.
Suggested tackle
What to bring
Top presentations for this lake's structure and clarity:
Northern pike · Soft plastics
Paddletail Swimbait on Jighead
4–5" paddletail swimbait on a ball-head swimbait jighead
Northern pike · Muskie & pike
Soft Rubber (Bull Dawg / Medusa)
10" soft rubber body bait
Largemouth bass · Soft plastics
Texas-Rigged Worm
7" ribbon-tail or straight-tail plastic worm
Largemouth bass · Soft plastics
Free Rig
Creature bait or magnum finesse worm
Smallmouth bass · Soft plastics
Drop Shot (Finesse Plastic)
4" finesse worm or 3" minnow-profile plastic
Smallmouth bass · Jigs & bladed
Tail Spinner
Compact lead body with a free-spinning blade on the tail
Full setups, including hooks, weights and line, are on the live map. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
MN DNR · in their words
From the 2017 survey
Bass Lake is a 218 acre lake located five miles north of Annandale in Wright County. The lake has one public access located on the west side of the lake. The water quality of Bass Lake is good with a 10 year average water clarity reading of 14 feet; and adequate dissolved oxygen down to 26 feet during the last week of June 2017. Bass Lake has a small watershed (951 acres) with land use consisting of 35% agriculture, 32% marsh/open water, 12% forest, 10% residential, 6% pasture, and 5% grassland. Emergent and floating-leaf vegetation mapping was also completed to evaluate the physical habitat of Bass Lake. Emergent plants were found to cover 3% of the lake and was limited mostly to the channel area on the west side of the lake north of the public access. Species found included: cattail spp., yellow water lily, and bulrush spp. A standard survey was conducted in 2017 to monitor changes in the fishery since the last survey conducted in 2005.
Anglers can expect good bass angling for fish of all sizes. Largemouth Bass were sampled by daytime electrofishing in May 2017 at nearly twice the average rate for Sauk Rapids area lakes with fish up to 18.5 inches sampled. Of catchable size fish (>8 inches), 69% were longer than 12 inches and 22% were longer than 15 inches.
Read the full DNR narrative
Bass Lake has a history of high catch rates of Northern Pike with the population being dominated by small fish. Northern Pike numbers were lower than 2008 but remained well above the expected range of values for similar lakes. Lengths ranged from 9 to 37 inches with an average length and weight of 22 inches and 2.8 pounds. Northern Pike were larger compared to the last survey; 32% were 24 inches or longer in 2017, compared to only 4% in 2005.
No Walleye were sampled in 2017, which is not surprising since Walleye were last stocked in 1993. Prior stocking efforts were unsuccessful most likely due to the high Northern Pike abundance and low Yellow Perch abundance.
The Bluegill catch in 2017 was similar to that observed in 2005 and good fishing for smaller sized Bluegill can be expected. Of catchable size fish (>3 inches), only 38% were longer than six inches and no Bluegill over eight inches were sampled.
Historically, Black Crappie abundance has been low and the catch in 2017 was no exception. While most of the crappie sampled were between eight and nine inches, crappie up to 12 inches were sampled during the survey.
Other fish species sampled included: Black Bullhead, Bowfin (dogfish), Brown Bullhead, Green Sunfish, Hybrid Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Rock Bass, Smallmouth Bass, and Yellow Bullhead.
Narrative text from the Minnesota DNR lake survey.
Recent reports
Bass Lake fishing reports
Recent reports on Bass Lake from guides, tournaments and regular anglers. Anything posted in the last two weeks also bumps the matching spots on the live map, so you'll see a "matches a recent report" tag on them.
Public water access
Getting on the water
- Bass Lake (trailer launch)
DNR bathymetry
Bass Lake depth map
Within 30 miles
Nearby lakes
- Grass Lake · 72 ac · 0.7 mi
- Clearwater Lake · 3,187 ac · 1.5 mi
- Otter Lake · 92 ac · 2.6 mi
- Sugar Lake · 1,014 ac · 3.2 mi
- Augusta Lake · 187 ac · 3.4 mi
- Nixon Lake · 60 ac · 3.4 mi
- Pleasant Lake · 597 ac · 3.5 mi
- Indian Lake · 139 ac · 3.9 mi
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
How deep is Bass Lake?
Bass Lake reaches 34 ft at its deepest point with a mean depth of 16.9 ft; about 43% of the lake is littoral (15 ft or shallower).
How big is Bass Lake?
Bass Lake covers 223 acres with about 3 miles of shoreline.
How clear is the water in Bass Lake?
DNR Secchi readings on Bass Lake average 13 ft of visibility, clear water for a Minnesota lake.
What fish are in Bass Lake?
Minnesota DNR surveys (most recently 2017) record walleye, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, rock bass.
Is Bass Lake stocked?
No stocking is on record for Bass Lake in the DNR's stocking database.
Does Bass Lake have a public access?
Yes. Bass Lake has one public access site: Bass Lake (trailer launch).
How big do northern pike get in Bass Lake?
The biggest northern pike measured in recent DNR surveys taped 37"; the size-history table on this page tracks the biggest fish in each survey back to 1995.
When was Bass Lake last surveyed?
The Minnesota DNR last surveyed Bass Lake in 2017, the most recent of 7 surveys on record. A survey that old is a starting point, not a current reading.
Page updated .
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