Southern Wisconsin doesn’t compare to northern Wisconsin when it comes to muskie fishing, however, there are plenty of places to go if you’re interested in muskie fishing this part of the state. The Madison Chain of Lakes and the Wisconsin River near the Dells are usually the places people will go when targeting muskie in Southern Wisconsin. However, muskie have been stocked into Lake Geneva and with all the deep water and an enormous amount of bait fish, this could end up being a premier destination for targeting large muskie. Below, you will see the bodies of water where you can target muskie in southern Wisconsin.
Wisconsin River (WI Dells Area)
The Wisconsin River is the best place to fish in the Dells area. You have so much variety with some quality fish. and so much area to fish. In the Dells area, the Wisconsin River is separated into 2 distinct sections: the Lower Dells & the Upper Dells.
Lower Dells
The Kilbourn Dam, also known as the Wisconsin Dells dam, is a hydroelectric dam that separates the Upper and Lower Dells. The section of the Lower Dells is a 36 mile section that leads to Lake Wisconsin. Many people choose to fish the dam early and late in the year as walleye, white bass, crappie and other species will move up to the dam. In the spring, the spawning migration pushes these game fish up here and in the fall, they move up to feed on a variety of bait fish. While walleye, sauger and white bass get a lot of attention here, the fishing is good on the Lower Dells for smallmouth bass, crappie, catfish and sturgeon. Northern pike and muskie are found in this part of the river too.
Upper Dells
The Upper Dells is also popular for fishing, however, it isn’t as popular close to town during the spawning migrations because the large migrations of fish will push north towards the Castle Rock Dam, which is another hydroelectric dam that backs up the Wisconsin and Yellow Rivers. Closer to the Dells, anglers do target walleye, sauger and white bass from spring through fall, but there are so many other fish to catch as well. Smallmouth bass, muskie, northern pike, sturgeon, catfish and crappie round out the fishery. The Upper Dells are home to some spectacular scenery as well.
Lake Koshkonong
Lake Koshkonong is a 10,595 acre lake located in Dane, Rock, Jefferson Counties. It has a maximum depth of 7 feet. Visitors have access to the lake from several public boat landings. There are also 2 public beaches on the lake. Fish include largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, muskie, northern pike, walleye, catfish and panfish. According to the DNR, panfish are common in the lake while all other species listed are present. The water is very murky.
Lake Mendota
Lake Mendota is a 9,781 acre lake located in Dane County. It has a maximum depth of 83 feet. Visitors have access to the lake from many public boat landings. There are also 7 public beaches on the lake. Fish include largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, walleye, muskie, sturgeon, catfish and panfish. According to the DNR, panfish are abundant in the lake while largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, northern pike and catfish are considered common. Sturgeon are listed as present. The water is murky.
Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva is a 5,401 acre lake located in Walworth County. It has a maximum depth of 135 feet. Visitors have access to the lake from several public boat landings. There are also multiple public beaches on the lake as well. Lake Geneva is a very popular recreational lake for swimming and boating. Fishing is very popular as well, however, you will have to deal with plenty of recreational boater traffic from some very large boats on this lake. Fish include largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, muskie, walleye, lake trout, crappie, bluegill, perch and rock bass. According to the DNR, smallmouth bass are abundant while all other species in the lake are listed as present.
Lake Monona
Lake Monona is a 3,359 acre lake located in Dane County. It has a maximum depth of 74 feet. Visitors have access to the lake from several public boat landings. There are 7 public beaches on the lake as well. Fish include largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, walleye, muskie, sturgeon, catfish and panfish. According to the DNR, panfish are abundant in the lake while largemouth bass, northern pike and walleye are considered common. Muskie, smallmouth bass, sturgeon and catfish are listed as present.
Lake Kegonsa
Lake Kegonsa is a 3,200 acre lake located in Dane County. It has a maximum depth of 32 feet. Visitors have access to the lake from several public boat landings. There is also a public beach on the lake. Fish include largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, walleye, muskie, catfish and panfish. According to the DNR, panfish are abundant in the lake while largemouth bass, northern pike and walleye are considered common. Smallmouth bass, muskie and catfish are listed as present.
Pewaukee Lake
Pewaukee Lake is a 2,437 acre lake located in Waukesha County. It has a maximum depth of 45 feet. Visitors have access to the lake from several public boat landings. Fish include largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, muskie and panfish. The water is moderately clear. According to the DNR, muskie, northern pike, largemouth bass and panfish are common in the lake while walleye are listed as present.
Lake Waubesa
Lake Waubesa is a 2,074 acre lake located in Dane County. It has a maximum depth of 38 feet. Visitors have access to the lake from several public boat landings. There is also a public beach on the lake. Fish include largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, walleye, muskie, catfish and panfish. According to the DNR, panfish and largemouth bass are abundant in the lake while northern pike and walleye are considered common. Muskie, smallmouth bass and catfish are listed as present.
Delavan Lake
Delavan Lake is a 1,906 acre lake located in Walworth County. It has a maximum depth of 52 feet. Visitors have access to the lake from multiple public boat landings. Fish include largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, walleye, muskie, crappie, bluegill and perch. According to the DNR, panfish are abundant in the lake, while all of the other species of fish are listed as present.
Okauchee Lake
Okauchee Lake is a 1,210 acre lake located in Waukesha County. It has a maximum depth of 90 feet. Visitors have access to the lake from 2 public boat landings. Fish include largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, muskie, walleye and panfish. The water is moderately clear. According to the DNR, muskie, northern pike and largemouth bass are common in the lake while walleye, smallmouth bass and panfish are listed as present.
Eagle Lake
Eagle Lake is a 529 acre lake located in Racine County. It has a maximum depth of 11 feet. Visitors have access to the lake from multiple public boat landings. Fish include northern pike, muskie, walleye, largemouth bass and panfish. According to the DNR, northern pike are abundant in the lake while largemouth bass and panfish are considered common. Muskie and walleye are listed as present.
Silver Lake
Silver Lake is a 516 acre lake located in Kenosha County. It has a maximum depth of 44 feet. Visitors have access to the lake from multiple public boat landings. Fish include largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, walleye, muskie, catfish and panfish. According to the DNR, muskie, northern pike, walleye and largemouth bass are common in the lake while smallmouth bass, catfish and panfish are listed as present.
Southern Wisconsin is home to a lot of smaller lakes that provide some good fishing for a variety of different fish. Most of the lakes will be home to largemouth bass, northern pike, bluegill and other sunfish. However, some lakes do offer other species to target such as muskie, walleye, smallmouth bass, crappie, catfish and more. We listed the better lakes to fish in alphabetical order with most of the lakes being within the range of 100 to 499 acres. Any lakes covering 500 acres or more are covered on our larger lakes of Southern Wisconsin page. We did list a couple of lakes that are smaller than 100 acres below, however, if you’re interested in finding more of the smaller lakes in this area, you can visit the Wisconsin DNR lake finder page.
Lake Wingra
Lake Wingra is a 336 acre lake located in Dane County. It has a maximum depth of 14 feet. There is a public boat landing on the lake as well as a public beach. Fish include largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, muskie and panfish. According to the DNR, panfish are abundant in the lake while muskie and largemouth bass are common. Northern pike and walleye are listed as present.
Twin Valley Lake
Twin Valley Lake is a 136 acre lake located in Iowa County. It has a maximum depth of 32 feet. There is a public beach on the lake. Fish include largemouth bass, muskie, trout, walleye and panfish. According to the DNR, largemouth bass and muskie are common in the lake while walleye, trout and panfish are listed as present.
Upper Mud Lake
Upper Mud Lake is a 218 acre lake located in Dane County. It has a maximum depth of 8 feet. Fish include largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, muskie, catfish and panfish. According to the DNR, largemouth bass and panfish are abundant in the lake while northern pike are considered common. Muskie, walleye and catfish are listed as present.
Yellowstone Lake
Yellowstone Lake is a 453 acre lake located in Lafayette County. It has a maximum depth of 14 feet. Anglers have access to the lake from several public boat landings. There is also a public beach on the lake. Fish include largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, muskie, trout and panfish. According to the DNR, panfish are abundant in the lake while muskie and largemouth bass are considered common. Northern pike, walleye and trout are listed as present. The water is murky.