Bass Lake

Bass Lake (DNR lake number 31-0576-00) is a lake in Itasca County, Minnesota, northwest of the city of Cohasset. It lies in the Mississippi River Headwaters Watershed. The lake covers 2,715 acres, which makes it the 10th-largest lake in Itasca County. Its maximum depth is 76 feet, but about half of the lake is 15 feet deep or less. Bass Lake has two distinct basins joined by a wide channel with a maximum depth of 10 feet. Bass Brook flows into the north basin from Stevens Lake and leaves from the south basin. It eventually empties into the Mississippi River. Several islands lie in the lake, and three of them are protected as state Aquatic Management Areas. The lake sits just outside the Chippewa National Forest. Homes and resorts are scattered along the shores of both basins, while the shoreline along the channel remains relatively undeveloped. In 2012 the average Secchi (water clarity) depth was 18 feet, and the lake is classified as mesotrophic, or moderately nutrient-enriched.

The lake has three public accesses: two on the north basin and one on the south basin. The Bass Lake (SW) and Bass Lake (W) Public Water Access Sites are run by the Minnesota DNR Division of Parks and Trails. The Bass Lake (NE) Public Water Access Site is run by Itasca County. In September 2025 the DNR confirmed zebra mussels in Bass Lake. Itasca County Soil and Water Conservation District staff had found adult mussels on settlement samplers along the north and south shores. Minnesota law requires boaters to clean aquatic plants and prohibited invasive species from watercraft, trailers and equipment. Boaters must also drain all water and leave drain plugs out during transport, and dry docks, lifts and rafts for 21 days before moving them to another body of water.