Badger Lake fishing: Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, Walleye

Target species: Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Black Bullhead, White Sucker, Bluegill, Yellow Perch
Boat: 1 ramp or launch on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at Badger Lake Public Water Access Site, 1 lane.

The lake

Badger Lake covers 254 acres in Minnesota, across Polk County. It is a lake: 94.9% of it is 10 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 15 feet (4.6 m). Our records hold 9 species for this water.

7 target fish, led by Northern Pike

  • Northern Pike — Feeding water: 50–75°F.
  • Largemouth Bass — Feeding water: 65–85°F.
  • Walleye — Feeding water: 50–75°F.
  • Black Bullhead — Feeding water: 70–80°F.
  • White Sucker — Feeding water: 50–70°F.
  • Bluegill — Feeding water: 70–85°F.
  • Yellow Perch — Feeding water: 45–75°F.

Also recorded here: Pumpkinseed, Common Carp.

Depth and bottom

Deepest measured point: at least 15 ft (4.6 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. 94.9% of the water is 10 feet or shallower. We hold 24 depth contour lines for this water.

  • 0–1 ft: 6.3% of the water
  • 1–2 ft: 8.1% of the water
  • 2–3 ft: 7.8% of the water
  • 3–4 ft: 7.6% of the water
  • 4–5 ft: 9.2% of the water
  • 5–6 ft: 12.1% of the water
  • 6–7 ft: 14.5% of the water
  • 7–8 ft: 13.7% of the water
  • 8–9 ft: 8.7% of the water
  • 9–10 ft: 6.9% of the water
  • 10–12 ft: 4.9% of the water
  • 12–13 ft: 0.4% of the water

1 ramp or launch on this water

On this water we hold 1 trailer ramp.

Badger Lake State Wildlife Management Area aerial 01A.jpg
Joe Mabel · CC BY-SA 3.0
  • Badger Lake Public Water Access Site — 1 lane. DNR Division of Fish and Wildlife.

The place listed has no fee or opening hours on file: a blank means we hold no such field, not that it is free or always open, and this list may not be complete.

Water and conditions

Our water temperature readings average 56°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. pH averages 7.7. These readings span 2016–2025.

What is hard here

With 94.9% of the water 10 feet or less, low level turns the flats into hazards. Only 1 public ramp is on file, so the launch decides where you fish.

Where this data comes from

  • Minnesota DNR — Minnesota DNR: depth contours: class A, a survey of the bottom.
  • Minnesota DNR — Minnesota DNR: reported depths: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.
  • Webster, K.E., McCullough, I.M., Soranno, P.A. LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0, EDI, doi:10.6073/pasta/64ddc4d04661d9aef4bd702dc5d8984f (CC BY 4.0); Cheruvelil et al. LAGOS-US LOCUS v1.0 (EDI) — LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0: Lake depth for 17,675 lakes in the conterminous U.S.: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.