Black bullhead Lakes in Minnesota, Wisconsin & Michigan

Other SpeciesFound in 28 lakes

Rough fish like Black bullhead are often associated with eutrophic, nutrient-loaded waters. Their presence — documented in 28 Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan lakes — is often a signal of how the rest of the fishery is functioning. Black bullhead is narrowly distributed — only 28 lakes in Michigan have a documented record. The constraint is usually habitat: cold water, specific depth profile, or river connection.

Rough-fish-dominant lakes are worth checking the grade on: a rough-fish-heavy fishery often reflects an underlying nutrient-loading problem in the watershed. Cross-reference the Black bullhead lake list below against the LakeGrade rubric: lakes with both an A or B grade and Black bullhead documented are the best places to start for recreational targeting.

Total Lakes

Michigan lakes →

Avg. Grade

40 ft

Avg. Depth

Water Quality of Black bullhead Lakes

202

20%

210

21%

227

23%

191

19%

160

16%

Best Black bullhead Lakes by Water Quality

Top 50 lakes with black bullhead ranked by overall water quality grade.

Rank	Lake	County	State	Grade	Depth	Species
1	North Long Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	97 ft	18
2	Big Sugar Bush Lake	Becker	MN	A	42 ft	13
3	Long Lake	Cass	MN	A	115 ft	14
4	Long Lake	Clearwater	MN	A	80 ft	15
5	Long Lake	Becker	MN	A	61 ft	16
6	Spearhead Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	81 ft	17
7	Ida Lake	Douglas	MN	A	106 ft	19
8	Star Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	94 ft	17
9	Upper Maple Lake	Wright	MN	A	76 ft	15
10	Fish Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	69 ft	17
11	Birch Lake	Wright	MN	A	52 ft	9
12	Girl Lake	Cass	MN	A	81 ft	18
13	Little Toad Lake	Becker	MN	A	65 ft	15
14	Bass Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	47 ft	14
15	Big Pine Lake	Aitkin	MN	A	78 ft	15
16	Strawberry Lake	Becker	MN	A	40 ft	16
17	Alexander Lake	Morrison	MN	A	64 ft	19
18	Gull Lake	Cass	MN	A	80 ft	22
19	Lower Hay Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	100 ft	21
20	Unnamed Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	95 ft	17
21	Cowdry Lake	Douglas	MN	A	52 ft	19
22	Partridge Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	42 ft	10
23	Andrusia Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	60 ft	21
24	Big Mcdonald Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	46 ft	15
25	Island Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	76 ft	19
26	Island Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	32 ft	13
27	Lizzie Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	66 ft	21
28	Turtle Lake	Becker	MN	A	73 ft	13
29	Pickerel Lake	Becker	MN	A	74 ft	14
30	George Lake	Kandiyohi	MN	A	34 ft	15
31	Middle Cormorant Lake	Becker	MN	A	40 ft	13
32	Upper Bottle Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	55 ft	14
33	West Battle Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	108 ft	17
34	Wabana Lake	Itasca	MN	A	115 ft	14
35	Little Mantrap Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	54 ft	13
36	West Sylvia Lake	Wright	MN	A	97 ft	15
37	Serpent Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	65 ft	17
38	Little Mcdonald Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	109 ft	14
39	Hand Lake	Cass	MN	A	57 ft	15
40	Courthouse Lake	Carver	MN	A	57 ft	10
41	Miltona Lake	Douglas	MN	A	105 ft	19
42	Mina Lake	Douglas	MN	A	123 ft	18
43	Bay Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	74 ft	13
44	Big Watab Lake	Stearns	MN	A	123 ft	15
45	Rush Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	105 ft	21
46	Elbow Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	46 ft	11
47	Schultz Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	48 ft	11
48	Spider (Ne Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	96 ft	13
49	Rose Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	137 ft	17
50	Ponto Lake	Cass	MN	A	60 ft	16

Showing top 50 of 990 lakes with black bullhead.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many lakes have black bullhead?

Black bullhead are found in 28 graded lakes: 28 in Michigan. The average water quality grade of lakes with black bullhead is B (Good).

What are the best lakes for black bullhead?

The best black bullhead lakes by water quality are North Long Lake, Big Sugar Bush Lake, Long Lake, Long Lake, Long Lake. These lakes have the highest water quality grades among all lakes where black bullhead have been documented by state DNR surveys.

What other fish are found with black bullhead?

Black bullhead are most commonly found alongside black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, northern pike, yellow perch. These species share similar habitat preferences in the region's lakes.

Other Fish Species in Black bullhead Lakes

Black Crappie Lakes

Found together in 870 lakes · 41 total

Bluegill Lakes

Found together in 865 lakes · 240 total

Northern pike Lakes

Found together in 848 lakes · 99 total

Yellow Perch Lakes

Found together in 839 lakes · 113 total

Largemouth bass Lakes

Found together in 800 lakes · 172 total

Pumpkinseed Lakes

Found together in 758 lakes · 145 total

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.