Best Ice Fishing Lakes in Michigan, Walleye + Crappie + Pike

Ice-fishing rankings weight winter-target species presence (walleye, perch, tullibee, lake trout) and accessibility on the ice. Crooked Lake (A) leads the Michigan list.

Ice-fishing rankings also favor lakes with reliable winter access — a published winter-road, plowed parking, or shoreline owned by a resort or DNR access point.

Rank	Lake	County	State	Grade	Clarity	Area	Depth
1	Crooked Lake	Emmet	MI	A	-	2,360 acres	50 ft
2	Houghton Lake	Roscommon	MI	A	5 ft	20,070 acres	21 ft
3	Clear Lake	Jackson	MI	A	10.5 ft	130 acres	34 ft
4	Lime Lake	Benzie	MI	A	17.5 ft	16 acres	25 ft
5	Round Lake	Lenawee	MI	A	12.3 ft	507 acres	67 ft
6	Au Sable Lake	Ogemaw	MI	A	10.5 ft	269 acres	52 ft
7	Sawyer Lake	Dickinson	MI	A	7 ft	241 acres	20 ft
8	Gun Lake	Mason	MI	A	14 ft	232 acres	22 ft
9	Rennie Lake	Grand Traverse	MI	A	14 ft	226 acres	27 ft
10	Lake George	Clare	MI	A	9.5 ft	129 acres	25 ft
11	Sugarloaf Lake	Washtenaw	MI	A	9.5 ft	280 acres	10 ft
12	Ore Lake	Livingston	MI	A	9 ft	229 acres	81 ft
13	Derby Lake	Montcalm	MI	A	14 ft	113 acres	87 ft
14	Eagle Lake	Kalkaska	MI	A	18 ft	25 acres	20 ft
15	Cranberry Lake	Oakland	MI	B	8.5 ft	24 acres	25 ft
16	Tamarack Lake	Livingston	MI	B	7 ft	19 acres	34 ft
17	Beaver Lake	Alger	MI	B	14.5 ft	782 acres	39 ft
18	Whitewood Lake	Livingston	MI	B	10 ft	68 acres	50 ft
19	Lower Herring Lake	Benzie	MI	NR	13 ft	446 acres	50 ft
20	Otter Lake	Oakland	MI	NR	10.3 ft	177 acres	70 ft
21	Eagle Lake	Cass	MI	NR	7 ft	399 acres	35 ft
22	Diamond Lake	Newaygo	MI	NR	12.3 ft	188 acres	25 ft
23	Diamond Lake	Osceola	MI	NR	16 ft	60 acres	60 ft
24	Emerald Lake	Newaygo	MI	NR	13.5 ft	-	49 ft
25	Burt Lake	Cheboygan	MI	NR	15.5 ft	17,393 acres	73 ft
26	Douglas Lake	Cheboygan	MI	NR	12 ft	3,727 acres	80 ft
27	Long Lake	Grand Traverse	MI	NR	24.3 ft	2,911 acres	88 ft
28	Lake Margrethe	Crawford	MI	NR	16 ft	1,920 acres	65 ft
29	Lake Bellaire	Antrim	MI	NR	12.5 ft	1,520 acres	95 ft
30	Pickerel Lake	Emmet	MI	NR	9.5 ft	1,078 acres	74 ft
31	Lake Fenton	Genesee	MI	NR	17.5 ft	879 acres	90 ft
32	Duck Lake	Gogebic	MI	NR	9 ft	612 acres	25 ft
33	Upper Herring Lake	Benzie	MI	NR	8 ft	573 acres	25 ft
34	Wall Lake	Barry	MI	NR	10 ft	557 acres	36 ft
35	Langford Lake	Gogebic	MI	NR	5.5 ft	482 acres	15 ft
36	Portage Lake	Jackson	MI	NR	8.8 ft	400 acres	40 ft
37	Long Lake	Cheboygan	MI	NR	18 ft	379 acres	61 ft
38	Long Lake	Gogebic	MI	NR	12 ft	172 acres	60 ft
39	Kimball Lake	Newaygo	MI	NR	4.5 ft	147 acres	40 ft
40	Cranberry Lake	Jackson	MI	NR	-	97 acres	32 ft
41	Pickerel Lake	Kalkaska	MI	NR	20 ft	94 acres	72 ft
42	Douglas Lake	Otsego	MI	NR	16.5 ft	86 acres	36 ft
43	Crooked Lake	Oakland	MI	NR	11.5 ft	63 acres	60 ft
44	Carter Lake	Barry	MI	NR	4 ft	60 acres	20 ft
45	Round Lake	Oakland	MI	NR	10.5 ft	49 acres	15 ft
46	Shingle Lake	Clare	MI	NR	10.5 ft	31 acres	40 ft
47	Cranberry Lake	Oakland	MI	NR	8.5 ft	24 acres	25 ft
48	Sylvan Lake	Newaygo	MI	NR	16 ft	-	63 ft
49	Sanford Lake	Midland	MI	NR	5 ft	1,526 acres	20 ft
50	Cedar Lake	Alcona	MI	NR	9 ft	914 acres	10 ft

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

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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.