Bear Lake
By Minocqua. 295 acres, 20 feet at the deepest.
Ice on Bear Lake
No ice reports from Bear Lake in the last two weeks.
What folks saw out there, not the DNR. No ice is safe ice; check it yourself.
Fish
- Plenty of: panfish
- Common: largemouth bass and northern pike
- Also there: smallmouth bass and walleye
How the DNR lists them. It doesn't say how the fishing is.
Boat landings
- Northeast side of the lake at end of S Fork RdMap · DNR details
Water and bottom
- Bottom: 50% sand, 10% gravel, 15% rock, 25% muck
- Kind of lake: what the DNR calls a spring lake
Invasive species
The DNR has found Chinese mystery snail, purple loosestrife, rusty crayfish and yellow iris here.
State law: before you leave the landing, pull off any plants and critters, drain all the water out of your boat, motor, livewell and buckets, and never move live fish away from the lake.
Depth map
Wisconsin DNR lake survey map, mapped August 1973. Mind the north arrow; some of these old maps are turned sideways. It's old and not for navigation; shorelines and depths change. The DNR lists the lake at 295 acres today. The DNR's original (PDF)
Lake facts from the Wisconsin DNR's page for Bear Lake, checked October 26, 2026.