Minnesota › Best lakes › Smallmouth Bass › Itasca County MN · ranked by public data
Best Smallmouth Bass Lakes by DNR Survey System and Lake-Scale Opportunity in Itasca County, Minnesota 26 Itasca County lakes have exact-water DNR survey evidence for smallmouth bass; 26 lakes with status, survey, or report evidence met our criteria, out of 839 documented lakes in the county. Updated July 2026.
Ranked within spring spawning mn class 23 standard night bass electrofishing catch per effort (fish per hour) — ranks restart at 1
1 90.0 system score
288 acres Itasca County, MN
Hartley Lake limited
90.0 within-system score · 1,399.9 lake-scale opportunity index · 4.86 fish/hour · 2003 DNR survey
How this within-system rank was determined Within-system score: 90.0/100 Lake scale (55%): opportunity index 1,399.9 (4.86 fish/hour × 288 acres; not a fish count) Survey rate (35%): 4.86 fish/hour Survey recency (10%): 2003 Survey method: Minnesota DNR standard night bass electrofishing, lake class 23 Compared only with Minnesota DNR lake class 23 standard night bass electrofishing surveys DNR abundance label: not covered by this ranking dataset DNR fisheries survey evidence: Recorded in DNR fisheries survey (smallmouth bass) Species fishing reports: not covered by this ranking dataset Stocking history: not covered by this ranking dataset 2 50.3 system score
265 acres Itasca County, MN
Clubhouse Lake limited
50.3 within-system score · 636.7 lake-scale opportunity index · 2.4 fish/hour · 2021 DNR survey
How this within-system rank was determined Within-system score: 50.3/100 Lake scale (55%): opportunity index 636.7 (2.4 fish/hour × 265 acres; not a fish count) Survey rate (35%): 2.4 fish/hour Survey recency (10%): 2021 Survey method: Minnesota DNR standard night bass electrofishing, lake class 23 Compared only with Minnesota DNR lake class 23 standard night bass electrofishing surveys DNR abundance label: not covered by this ranking dataset DNR fisheries survey evidence: Recorded in DNR fisheries survey (smallmouth bass) Species fishing reports: not covered by this ranking dataset Stocking history: not covered by this ranking dataset 3 24.1 system score
292 acres Itasca County, MN
Big Too Much Lake available
24.1 within-system score · 464.2 lake-scale opportunity index · 1.59 fish/hour · 2007 DNR survey
How this within-system rank was determined Within-system score: 24.1/100 Lake scale (55%): opportunity index 464.2 (1.59 fish/hour × 292 acres; not a fish count) Survey rate (35%): 1.59 fish/hour Survey recency (10%): 2007 Survey method: Minnesota DNR standard night bass electrofishing, lake class 23 Compared only with Minnesota DNR lake class 23 standard night bass electrofishing surveys DNR abundance label: not covered by this ranking dataset DNR fisheries survey evidence: Recorded in DNR fisheries survey (smallmouth bass) Species fishing reports: not covered by this ranking dataset Stocking history: not covered by this ranking dataset 4 5.0 system score
434 acres Itasca County, MN
Johnson Lake limited
5.0 within-system score · 312.5 lake-scale opportunity index · 0.72 fish/hour · 2012 DNR survey
How this within-system rank was determined Within-system score: 5.0/100 Lake scale (55%): opportunity index 312.5 (0.72 fish/hour × 434 acres; not a fish count) Survey rate (35%): 0.72 fish/hour Survey recency (10%): 2012 Survey method: Minnesota DNR standard night bass electrofishing, lake class 23 Compared only with Minnesota DNR lake class 23 standard night bass electrofishing surveys DNR abundance label: not covered by this ranking dataset DNR fisheries survey evidence: Recorded in DNR fisheries survey (smallmouth bass) Species fishing reports: not covered by this ranking dataset Stocking history: not covered by this ranking dataset Ranked within spring spawning mn class 25 standard night bass electrofishing catch per effort (fish per hour) — ranks restart at 1
1 98.6 system score
2,715 acres Itasca County, MN
Bass Lake limited
98.6 within-system score · 8,932.8 lake-scale opportunity index · 3.29 fish/hour · 2014 DNR survey
How this within-system rank was determined Within-system score: 98.6/100 Lake scale (55%): opportunity index 8,932.8 (3.29 fish/hour × 2,715 acres; not a fish count) Survey rate (35%): 3.29 fish/hour Survey recency (10%): 2014 Survey method: Minnesota DNR standard night bass electrofishing, lake class 25 Compared only with Minnesota DNR lake class 25 standard night bass electrofishing surveys DNR abundance label: not covered by this ranking dataset DNR fisheries survey evidence: Recorded in DNR fisheries survey (smallmouth bass) Species fishing reports: not covered by this ranking dataset Stocking history: not covered by this ranking dataset 2 22.5 system score
150 acres Itasca County, MN
Little Jay Gould Lake limited
22.5 within-system score · 437.9 lake-scale opportunity index · 2.92 fish/hour · 2008 DNR survey
How this within-system rank was determined Within-system score: 22.5/100 Lake scale (55%): opportunity index 437.9 (2.92 fish/hour × 150 acres; not a fish count) Survey rate (35%): 2.92 fish/hour Survey recency (10%): 2008 Survey method: Minnesota DNR standard night bass electrofishing, lake class 25 Compared only with Minnesota DNR lake class 25 standard night bass electrofishing surveys DNR abundance label: not covered by this ranking dataset DNR fisheries survey evidence: Recorded in DNR fisheries survey (smallmouth bass) Species fishing reports: not covered by this ranking dataset Stocking history: not covered by this ranking dataset 3 18.2 system score
305 acres Itasca County, MN
Little Long Lake limited
18.2 within-system score · 685.2 lake-scale opportunity index · 2.25 fish/hour · 2015 DNR survey
How this within-system rank was determined Within-system score: 18.2/100 Lake scale (55%): opportunity index 685.2 (2.25 fish/hour × 305 acres; not a fish count) Survey rate (35%): 2.25 fish/hour Survey recency (10%): 2015 Survey method: Minnesota DNR standard night bass electrofishing, lake class 25 Compared only with Minnesota DNR lake class 25 standard night bass electrofishing surveys DNR abundance label: not covered by this ranking dataset DNR fisheries survey evidence: Recorded in DNR fisheries survey (smallmouth bass) Species fishing reports: not covered by this ranking dataset Stocking history: not covered by this ranking dataset Ranked within spring spawning mn class 31 standard night bass electrofishing catch per effort (fish per hour) — ranks restart at 1
1 90.0 system score
245 acres Itasca County, MN
Busties Lake available
90.0 within-system score · 487.8 lake-scale opportunity index · 1.99 fish/hour · 2013 DNR survey
How this within-system rank was determined Within-system score: 90.0/100 Lake scale (55%): opportunity index 487.8 (1.99 fish/hour × 245 acres; not a fish count) Survey rate (35%): 1.99 fish/hour Survey recency (10%): 2013 Survey method: Minnesota DNR standard night bass electrofishing, lake class 31 Compared only with Minnesota DNR lake class 31 standard night bass electrofishing surveys DNR abundance label: not covered by this ranking dataset DNR fisheries survey evidence: Recorded in DNR fisheries survey (smallmouth bass) Species fishing reports: not covered by this ranking dataset Stocking history: not covered by this ranking dataset 2 10.0 system score
492 acres Itasca County, MN
Little Turtle Lake limited
10.0 within-system score · 368.8 lake-scale opportunity index · 0.75 fish/hour · 2014 DNR survey
How this within-system rank was determined Within-system score: 10.0/100 Lake scale (55%): opportunity index 368.8 (0.75 fish/hour × 492 acres; not a fish count) Survey rate (35%): 0.75 fish/hour Survey recency (10%): 2014 Survey method: Minnesota DNR standard night bass electrofishing, lake class 31 Compared only with Minnesota DNR lake class 31 standard night bass electrofishing surveys DNR abundance label: not covered by this ranking dataset DNR fisheries survey evidence: Recorded in DNR fisheries survey (smallmouth bass) Species fishing reports: not covered by this ranking dataset Stocking history: not covered by this ranking dataset Comparable spring spawning mn class 22 standard night bass electrofishing catch per effort (fish per hour) — one lake recorded, no peer rank
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4,093 acres Itasca County, MN
Deer Lake limited
spring spawning mn class 22 standard night bass electrofishing catch per effort (fish per hour) · one comparable lake, so no peer rank
Why this lake is listed No numeric rank: this survey system has no eligible same-system peer Survey rate: 90 fish/hour Survey recency: 2023 Survey method: Minnesota DNR standard night bass electrofishing, lake class 22 DNR abundance label: not covered by this ranking dataset DNR fisheries survey evidence: Recorded in DNR fisheries survey (smallmouth bass) Species fishing reports: not covered by this ranking dataset Stocking history: not covered by this ranking dataset Methodology
How this list is built County ranks use the same statewide exact-family contract; systems with at least two eligible county peers restart at #1. The score is 55% survey rate × acreage, 35% survey rate, and 10% recency. Catch-per-effort × acreage is only an opportunity index, never a literal fish count. Documented acreage plus verified public or shore access are eligibility gates. Unsupported methods stay documented but unranked. See the complete definitions on the statewide smallmouth bass ranking .
FAQ
Itasca County smallmouth bass fishing FAQ Which smallmouth bass lakes receive a numeric county rank? 9 lakes receive at least one peer-backed, exact-lake numeric rank. Catch-per-effort systems separate species, phase, gear, unit, and sampled population; standardized adult-density estimates form their own system, so systems with at least two eligible county peers can each have a #1 in Itasca County.
How many Itasca County lakes have smallmouth bass? 26 Itasca County lakes have exact-water DNR survey evidence. Numeric rank still requires an exact comparable family plus the acreage and access gates.
Source data: Minnesota DNR LakeFinder fisheries surveys, lake classes, morphology, and public-access records. Rankings are LakeList's computed opinion from public agency data, not a DNR endorsement. Conditions and regulations change — verify access and rules before you go.