Black Crappie Lakes in Michigan, 55 Lakes

Panfish like Black Crappie are the workhorses of Michigan recreational fishing — abundant, accessible, present in 1,386 surveyed lakes. With 1,331 lakes in Minnesota and 55 in Michigan carrying a documented record, Black Crappie is one of the more accessible targets in the dataset.

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 each lake's clarity, phosphorus and algae readings: lakes with low nutrient readings and Black Crappie documented are the best places to start for recreational targeting.

Michigan Lakes

Counties

Black Crappie Lakes Map

Every Michigan lake with documented black crappie.

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Best Black Crappie Lakes in Michigan

Rank	Lake	County	Clarity	Depth
1	Emerald Lake	Kent	11.5 ft	-
2	Hanbury Lake	Dickinson	14 ft	-
3	Duck Lake	Muskegon	11 ft	-
4	Muskellunge Lake	Kent	13.5 ft	-
5	Murray Lake	Kent	9 ft	-
6	Clear Lake	Jackson	10.5 ft	34 ft
7	Big Star Lake	Lake	9 ft	-
8	Crystal Lake	Washtenaw	12.5 ft	-
9	Whitefish Lake	Montcalm	13.5 ft	-
10	Round Lake	Benzie	15 ft	-
11	Crystal Lake	Hillsdale	9.5 ft	-
12	Otter Lake	Benzie	12 ft	-
13	Houghton Lake	Roscommon	5 ft	21 ft
14	Cranberry Lake	Oakland	8.5 ft	25 ft
15	Tamarack Lake	Livingston	7 ft	34 ft
16	Walloon Lake	Emmet	-	-
17	Round Lake	Shiawassee	6 ft	-
18	Sanford Lake	Benzie	17 ft	-
19	Lower Herring Lake	Benzie	13 ft	50 ft
20	Hanbury Lake	Dickinson	14 ft	-
21	Chippewa Lake	Mecosta	11 ft	40 ft
22	Shavehead Lake	Cass	8 ft	70 ft
23	Clear Lake	Ogemaw	15 ft	50 ft
24	Cranberry Lake	Oakland	8.5 ft	25 ft
25	Shavehead Lake	Cass	8.5 ft	70 ft
26	Lake Fenton	Genesee	17.5 ft	90 ft
27	Emerald Lake	Newaygo	13.5 ft	49 ft
28	Sanford Lake	Midland	5 ft	20 ft
29	Eagle Lake	Cass	7 ft	35 ft
30	Wall Lake	Barry	10 ft	36 ft
31	Duck Lake	Gogebic	9 ft	25 ft
32	White Lake	Muskegon	6.8 ft	-
33	Eagle Lake	Allegan	15 ft	-
34	Shingle Lake	Clare	10.5 ft	40 ft
35	Crystal Lake	Benzie	32 ft	175 ft
36	White Lake	Oakland	13 ft	-
37	Crystal Lake	Gogebic	10 ft	25 ft
38	Jordan Lake	Barry	7.5 ft	-
39	Fox Lake	Charlevoix	4.9 ft	17 ft
40	Otter Lake	Oakland	10.3 ft	70 ft
41	Clear Lake	Oakland	11 ft	-
42	Middle Lake	Lapeer	9 ft	-
43	Round Lake	Oakland	10.5 ft	15 ft
44	Round Lake	Oakland	10 ft	-
45	Diamond Lake	Newaygo	12.3 ft	25 ft
46	Kimball Lake	Newaygo	4.5 ft	40 ft
47	Round Lake	Shiawassee	6.5 ft	-
48	Batteese Lake	Jackson	2.8 ft	-
49	Diamond Lake	Osceola	16 ft	60 ft
50	Green Lake	Allegan	8 ft	60 ft

Showing top 50 of 55 lakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Michigan lakes have black crappie?

Black Crappie are found in 55 lakes in Michigan.

What are the best black crappie lakes in Michigan?

The best black crappie lakes in Michigan by water quality are Emerald Lake, Hanbury Lake, Duck Lake, Muskellunge Lake, Murray Lake.

Fish species from state agency survey, stocking, and public fishing-access records; water-quality readings from the EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys.