Best Family Fishing Lakes in Michigan

Top 50 family fishing lakes in Michigan. 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.

Family-fishing weights panfish presence — bluegill, crappie, perch — together with reasonable access and an average water-quality grade. Kids do best with abundant, easy-to-catch species rather than challenging trophy fishing. Round Lake (A) tops the Michigan list.

Family-fishing favors abundance over trophy size. A lake with a deep, productive panfish community gives more first-fish moments than a lake with a few large walleye.

Rank	Lake	County	State	Grade	Clarity	Area	Depth
1	Round Lake	Benzie	MI	A	15 ft	-	-
2	Round Lake	Benzie	MI	A	15 ft	-	-
3	Whitefish Lake	Montcalm	MI	A	16.8 ft	-	-
4	Whitefish Lake Southeast Basin; Pierson Township	Montcalm	MI	A	16 ft	-	-
5	Lower Herring Lake East Basin; Blaire Township	Benzie	MI	A	16 ft	-	-
6	Silver Lake	Cheboygan	MI	A	32 ft	-	-
7	Long Lake	Grand Traverse	MI	A	24 ft	-	-
8	Long Lake	Cheboygan	MI	A	18 ft	-	-
9	Lime Lake	Benzie	MI	A	17.5 ft	-	-
10	Diamond Lake	Osceola	MI	A	16 ft	-	-
11	Eagle Lake East Basin; Paw Paw Township	Van Buren	MI	A	17 ft	-	-
12	Douglas Lake	Otsego	MI	A	16.5 ft	-	-
13	Corey Lake	St. Joseph	MI	A	16 ft	-	-
14	Lake Margrethe	Crawford	MI	A	16 ft	-	-
15	Beaver Lake Central Basin; Ossineke Township	Alpena	MI	A	16 ft	-	-
16	Sanford Lake	Benzie	MI	A	15.8 ft	-	-
17	Burt Lake	Cheboygan	MI	A	15.5 ft	-	-
18	Eagle Lake	Van Buren	MI	A	15 ft	-	-
19	Walloon Lake	Emmet	MI	A	-	-	-
20	Spring Lake	Emmet	MI	A	-	-	-
21	Elk Lake	Antrim	MI	A	-	-	-
22	Twin Lake	Kalkaska	MI	A	23 ft	-	-
23	Cub Lake	Kalkaska	MI	A	19.5 ft	-	-
24	Cub Lake Central Basin	Kalkaska	MI	A	19 ft	-	-
25	Twin Lakes; Grayling Twp	Crawford	MI	A	19 ft	-	-
26	Lake Geneserath	Charlevoix	MI	A	16.5 ft	-	-
27	Corey Lake Southeastern Basin; Fabius Township	St. Joseph	MI	A	16 ft	567 acres	-
28	Pickerel Lake	Kalkaska	MI	A	15 ft	-	-
29	Susan Lake	Charlevoix	MI	A	-	-	-
30	Crooked Lake	Emmet	MI	A	-	-	-
31	Higgins Lake East Basin	Roscommon	MI	A	35 ft	-	-
32	Crystal Lake	Benzie	MI	A	32 ft	-	-
33	Avery Lake	Montmorency	MI	A	27 ft	322 acres	-
34	Long Lake North Central Basin; Long Lake Township	Grand Traverse	MI	A	23.8 ft	-	-
35	Arbutus Lake South Central Basin	Grand Traverse	MI	A	19 ft	-	-
36	Opal Lake	Otsego	MI	A	18.5 ft	-	-
37	Bass Lake Northeast Basin	Kalkaska	MI	A	18.5 ft	-	-
38	Arbutus Lake Central Basin	Grand Traverse	MI	A	17.3 ft	-	-
39	Eagle Lake	Kalkaska	MI	A	17 ft	-	-
40	Eagle Lake Central Basin; Blue Lake Township	Kalkaska	MI	A	17 ft	-	-
41	Squaw Lake	Kalkaska	MI	A	16 ft	-	-
42	Monocle Lake	Chippewa	MI	A	16 ft	-	-
43	Stone Lake Central Basin; Jefferson Township	Cass	MI	A	16 ft	-	-
44	Indian Lake Northeast Basin; Blue Lake Township	Kalkaska	MI	A	15.5 ft	-	-
45	Windover Lake South Basin; Freeman Township	Clare	MI	A	15 ft	-	-
46	Windover Lake	Clare	MI	A	15 ft	-	-
47	Island Lake	Grand Traverse	MI	A	15 ft	-	-
48	Big Blue Lake North Basin; Blue Lake Township	Kalkaska	MI	A	-	-	-
49	Cordley Lake Central Basin; Hamburg Township	Livingston	MI	A	-	-	-
50	Bear Lake Southeast Basin	Kalkaska	MI	A	36.5 ft	-	-

Combined list →Minnesota version →Wisconsin version →All Michigan lakes →

Where to stay near Michigan family-fishing lakes

Compare family-friendly cabins, resorts, and rentals near Michigan's best panfish lakes — live availability and prices for your trip.

Top-rated places to stay near Michigan family-fishing lakes

Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.

Planning a trip to Michigan family-fishing lakes?

Get lake water-quality report cards plus the best cabin & lodging deals near Michigan family-fishing lakes — straight to your inbox. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.