It got its name from the fact that early Native Americans in the area thought that a lake with neither inlet nor outlet was a place of bad omen ("bad medicine") and would not hunt or fish near the lake.

It is known for its clear, cold waters and rainbow trout fishing.

[2] The DNR turned Bad Medicine Lake into a trout lake in 1977, following an explosion of native crayfish that eliminated the vegetation used by bass and panfish.

[1] Roughly 16,000 rainbow trout are stocked annually, including Kamloops and Madison strains.

This article about a location in Becker County, Minnesota is a stub.