Lake Mendota is a lake in Wisconsin, near Dane County.
Lake Mendota sits at roughly 9,781 acres with a maximum depth of about 83 feet, which is why I would look at one section at a time instead of the whole map. Lake Mendota is the largest and northernmost lake in Madison's Yahara chain, and generations of research at UW-Madison have made it one of the most intensively studied lakes in the world. If I only had one day on Lake Mendota, I would make one part of the lake my whole world for the first few hours.
| County | Dane County, WI |
|---|---|
| Water type | Lake |
| Surface area | 9,781 acres |
| Maximum depth | 83 feet |
| Recorded fish | 11 |
Start with a short rotation through accessible bank cover, vegetation, and nearby deeper water. Give each spot a few deliberate casts before moving on.
For Lake Mendota, the fish list currently includes Black Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Lake Sturgeon, Largemouth Bass, Muskellunge, Northern Pike, and Pumpkinseed, plus 3 more; which keeps me focused on weeds, wood, rock, or docks for bass and points, breaks, and wind-pushed edges for walleye, and see what actually shows up before changing directions.
If I were taking a friend to Lake Mendota, I would make the day about finding one repeatable clue instead of collecting waypoints, and I would make sure the current Wisconsin fishing regulations do not add a special rule for this water.
Its location next to UW-Madison has made Mendota a long-running natural laboratory. Generations of lake research have made it one of the most intensively studied lakes in the world.
Mendota is the largest and northernmost major lake in Madison's Yahara chain. Water then moves down the system toward Monona and the lower lakes.
The current record lists a maximum depth of about 83 feet across roughly 9,781 acres.
Mendota is larger, deeper, and sits upstream in the Yahara chain. Its basin and shoreline create a different set of fishing conditions from Monona.
Explore nearby waters, including local Featured destinations. Check each page for access and fishing restrictions.
Distances are straight-line estimates between mapped water locations.
Source dates describe the evidence, not a live catch forecast. Check the managing authority before planning access or keeping fish.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.