Black Crappie Lakes in Minnesota, Wisconsin & Michigan

PanfishFound in 41 lakes

Black Crappie is panfish — the family of smaller, abundant species that anchor kid-friendly fishing and ice-fishing in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Documented in 41 lakes across our dataset. Black Crappie is narrowly distributed — only 41 lakes in North Dakota have a documented record. The constraint is usually habitat: cold water, specific depth profile, or river connection.

Panfish species like Black Crappie tolerate a wide range of water quality, so their presence in a lake says less about the lake than the absence of a game-fish would. Cross-reference the Black Crappie lake list below against the LakeGrade rubric: lakes with both an A or B grade and Black Crappie documented are the best places to start for recreational targeting.

Total Lakes

North Dakota lakes →

Avg. Grade

44 ft

Avg. Depth

Water Quality of Black Crappie Lakes

438

29%

359

24%

303

20%

241

16%

147

10%

Best Black Crappie Lakes by Water Quality

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

Rank	Lake	County	State	Grade	Depth	Species
1	East Fox Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	65 ft	15
2	North Long Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	97 ft	18
3	Bad Medicine Lake	Becker	MN	A	84 ft	13
4	Big Sugar Bush Lake	Becker	MN	A	42 ft	13
5	Horseshoe Lake	Cass	MN	A	51 ft	12
6	Long Lake	Cass	MN	A	115 ft	14
7	Long Lake	Clearwater	MN	A	80 ft	15
8	Long Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	87 ft	11
9	Long Lake	Becker	MN	A	61 ft	16
10	Long Lake	Cass	MN	A	37 ft	12
11	Long Lake	Itasca	MN	A	72 ft	10
12	Long Lake	Itasca	MN	A	85 ft	12
13	Dead Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	34 ft	9
14	Otter Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	64 ft	7
15	Ossawinnamakee Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	63 ft	18
16	Clear Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	63 ft	15
17	Clear Lake	Aitkin	MN	A	24 ft	14
18	Clear Lake	Itasca	MN	A	30 ft	9
19	West Fox Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	55 ft	15
20	Spearhead Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	81 ft	17
21	Ida Lake	Douglas	MN	A	106 ft	19
22	Star Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	83 ft	12
23	Star Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	94 ft	17
24	Upper Maple Lake	Wright	MN	A	76 ft	15
25	Fish Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	69 ft	17
26	Birch Lake	Wright	MN	A	52 ft	9
27	Girl Lake	Cass	MN	A	81 ft	18
28	Little Toad Lake	Becker	MN	A	65 ft	15
29	Charlotte Lake	Wright	MN	A	46 ft	10
30	Bass Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	47 ft	14
31	Bass Lake	Cass	MN	A	55 ft	12
32	Crooked Lake	Stearns	MN	A	35 ft	10
33	Crooked Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	54 ft	16
34	Cedar Lake	Morrison	MN	A	88 ft	14
35	Pelican Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	55 ft	20
36	Lower Bottle Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	110 ft	13
37	Big Pine Lake	Aitkin	MN	A	78 ft	15
38	Strawberry Lake	Becker	MN	A	40 ft	16
39	Alexander Lake	Morrison	MN	A	64 ft	19
40	Mcavity Lake	Itasca	MN	A	29 ft	9
41	Gull Lake	Cass	MN	A	80 ft	22
42	Deep Portage Lake	Cass	MN	A	105 ft	9
43	Lower Hay Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	100 ft	21
44	Latoka Lake	Douglas	MN	A	108 ft	16
45	Pike Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	60 ft	9
46	Unnamed Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	95 ft	17
47	Maple Lake	Itasca	MN	A	39 ft	13
48	Shallow Lake	Itasca	MN	A	85 ft	12
49	Trout Lake	Itasca	MN	A	135 ft	15
50	Cowdry Lake	Douglas	MN	A	52 ft	19

Showing top 50 of 1,488 lakes with black crappie.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many lakes have black crappie?

Black Crappie are found in 41 graded lakes: 41 in North Dakota. The average water quality grade of lakes with black crappie is C (Fair).

What are the best lakes for black crappie?

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

What other fish are found with black crappie?

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

Other Fish Species in Black Crappie Lakes

Bluegill Lakes

Found together in 1,335 lakes · 240 total

Northern pike Lakes

Found together in 1,318 lakes · 99 total

Yellow Perch Lakes

Found together in 1,285 lakes · 113 total

Largemouth bass Lakes

Found together in 1,243 lakes · 172 total

Pumpkinseed Lakes

Found together in 1,174 lakes · 145 total

Walleye Lakes

Found together in 1,143 lakes · 840 total

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.