Best Family Fishing Lakes in Minnesota, Wisconsin & Michigan

Top 50 family fishing lakes across the three states with fish-survey data. Filtered for abundant panfish (bluegill, crappie, perch, sunfish, pumpkinseed), no known access restrictions (access data verified for Minnesota), and safe water quality (A, B, or C grade). Kids catch fish here.

State-specific lists: Minnesota → Wisconsin → Michigan →

Rank	Lake	County	State	Grade	Depth	Panfish Species	Total Fish
1	Moon Lake	Douglas	MN	A	38 ft	black crappie, bluegill, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, pumpkinseed, white crappie, yellow perch	12
2	Carlos Lake	Douglas	MN	A	163 ft	black crappie, bluegill, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, pumpkinseed, sunfish, yellow perch	21
3	Lower Cullen Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	39 ft	black crappie, bluegill, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, pumpkinseed, sunfish, yellow perch	16
4	Pig Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	56 ft	black crappie, bluegill, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, northern sunfish, pumpkinseed, yellow perch	20
5	Island Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	76 ft	black crappie, bluegill, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, northern sunfish, pumpkinseed, yellow perch	19
6	Clamshell Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	44 ft	black crappie, bluegill, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, northern sunfish, pumpkinseed, yellow perch	18
7	Gull Lake	Cass	MN	A	80 ft	black crappie, bluegill, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, pumpkinseed, sunfish, yellow perch	22
8	Big Cormorant Lake	Becker	MN	A	75 ft	black crappie, bluegill, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, pumpkinseed, yellow perch	16
9	Turtle Lake	Becker	MN	A	73 ft	black crappie, bluegill, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, pumpkinseed, yellow perch	13
10	Big Sand Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	135 ft	black crappie, bluegill, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, pumpkinseed, yellow perch	16
11	Lone Lake	Aitkin	MN	A	60 ft	black crappie, bluegill, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, pumpkinseed, yellow perch	14
12	West Sylvia Lake	Wright	MN	A	97 ft	black crappie, bluegill, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, pumpkinseed, yellow perch	15
13	Long Lake	Cass	MN	A	115 ft	black crappie, bluegill, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, pumpkinseed, yellow perch	14
14	Long Lake	Cass	MN	A	115 ft	black crappie, bluegill, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, pumpkinseed, yellow perch	14
15	Little Jay Gould Lake	Itasca	MN	A	56 ft	black crappie, bluegill, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, pumpkinseed, yellow perch	16
16	Long Lake	Clearwater	MN	A	80 ft	black crappie, bluegill, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, pumpkinseed, yellow perch	15
17	Big Watab Lake	Stearns	MN	A	123 ft	black crappie, bluegill, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, pumpkinseed, yellow perch	15
18	Adams Lake	Vilas	WI	A	-	Panfish	2
19	Black Oak Lake	Vilas	WI	A	85 ft	Panfish	6
20	Wheeler Lake	Oconto	WI	A	35 ft	Panfish	5
21	Bardon Lake	Douglas	WI	A	102 ft	Panfish	5
22	Whitefish Lake	Douglas	WI	A	102 ft	Panfish	5
23	Pine Lake	Waukesha	WI	A	85 ft	Panfish	5
24	Lake Owen	Bayfield	WI	A	95 ft	Panfish	5
25	Whitefish Lake	Douglas	WI	A	102 ft	Panfish	5
26	Geneva Lake Site B	Walworth	WI	A	135 ft	Panfish	6
27	Carlin Lake	Vilas	WI	A	36 ft	Panfish	3
28	Roach Lake	Vilas	WI	A	48 ft	Panfish	2
29	Big Hurst Lake	Vilas	WI	A	44 ft	Panfish	3
30	Clara Lake-Deep Hole	Lincoln	WI	A	50 ft	Panfish	2
31	Stone Lake	Washburn	WI	A	49 ft	Panfish	5
32	Blue Lake	Oneida	WI	A	49 ft	Panfish	4
33	Forest Lake	Vilas	WI	A	60 ft	Panfish	5
34	Maiden Lake	Oconto	WI	A	52 ft	Panfish	4
35	Round Lake	Benzie	MI	A	-	Black crappie, Bluegill, Green sunfish, Northern longear sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Redear sunfish, Yellow perch	37
36	Round Lake	Benzie	MI	A	-	Black crappie, Bluegill, Green sunfish, Northern longear sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Redear sunfish, Yellow perch	37
37	Whitefish Lake	Montcalm	MI	A	-	Black crappie, Bluegill, Green sunfish, Northern longear sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Yellow perch	21
38	Whitefish Lake Southeast Basin; Pierson Township	Montcalm	MI	A	-	Black crappie, Bluegill, Green sunfish, Northern longear sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Yellow perch	21
39	Lower Herring Lake East Basin; Blaire Township	Benzie	MI	A	-	Black crappie, Bluegill, Northern longear sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Trout-perch, Yellow perch	25
40	Silver Lake	Cheboygan	MI	A	-	Bluegill, Green sunfish, Northern longear sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Yellow perch	15
41	Long Lake	Grand Traverse	MI	A	-	Bluegill, Green sunfish, Northern longear sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Yellow perch	40
42	Long Lake	Cheboygan	MI	A	-	Bluegill, Green sunfish, Northern longear sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Yellow perch	40
43	Lime Lake	Benzie	MI	A	-	Bluegill, Green sunfish, Northern longear sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Yellow perch	15
44	Diamond Lake	Osceola	MI	A	-	Black crappie, Bluegill, Northern longear sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Yellow perch	25
45	Eagle Lake East Basin; Paw Paw Township	Van Buren	MI	A	-	Bluegill, Green sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Yellow perch	12
46	Douglas Lake	Otsego	MI	A	-	Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, Trout-perch, Yellow perch	22
47	Corey Lake	St. Joseph	MI	A	-	Bluegill, Green sunfish, Northern longear sunfish, Pumpkinseed	13
48	Lake Margrethe	Crawford	MI	A	-	Bluegill, Northern longear sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Yellow perch	21
49	Beaver Lake Central Basin; Ossineke Township	Alpena	MI	A	-	Bluegill, Green sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Yellow perch	15
50	Sanford Lake	Benzie	MI	A	-	Black crappie, Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, Yellow perch	17