Black Crappie Lakes in Michigan

Found in 59 Michigan lakes · 1,369 in Minnesota

Panfish like Black Crappie are the workhorses of Michigan recreational fishing — abundant, accessible, present in 1,428 surveyed lakes. With 1,369 lakes in Minnesota and 59 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 the LakeGrade rubric: lakes with both an A or B grade and Black Crappie documented are the best places to start for recreational targeting.

Michigan Lakes

Avg. Grade

Grade A Lakes

Counties

Black Crappie Lakes Map

Every Michigan lake with documented black crappie, colored by water-quality grade.

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Best Black Crappie Lakes in Michigan

Rank	Lake	County	Grade	Clarity	Depth
1	Big Star Lake Central Basin; Lake Township	Lake	A	8 ft	-
2	Kimball Lake Central Basin; Garfield Township	Newaygo	A	4.5 ft	-
3	Whitefish Lake Southeast Basin; Pierson Township	Montcalm	A	16 ft	-
4	Murray Lake East Basin; Grattan Township	Kent	A	7.2 ft	-
5	Clear Lake East Basin; Waterloo Township	Jackson	A	10 ft	-
6	Round Lake	Benzie	A	15 ft	-
7	Crystal Lake	Hillsdale	A	9.5 ft	-
8	Otter Lake	Benzie	A	12 ft	-
9	Duck Lake North Basin; Watersmeet Township	Gogebic	A	9.5 ft	-
10	Emerald Lake	Kent	A	12 ft	-
11	Lower Herring Lake East Basin; Blaire Township	Benzie	A	16 ft	-
12	Houghton Lake	Roscommon	A	5 ft	-
13	Shingle Lake South Basin; Lincoln Township	Clare	A	-	-
14	Tamarack Lake North Basin; Hamburg Township	Livingston	B	7 ft	-
15	Fox Lake	Charlevoix	B	5 ft	-
16	Crystal Lake; East Central Basin; Watersmeet Township	Gogebic	B	11 ft	-
17	Round Lake	Shiawassee	D	6 ft	-
18	Kimball Lake	Newaygo	NR	4.5 ft	-
19	Shavehead Lake East Basin; Porter Township	Cass	NR	7 ft	-
20	Sanford Lake	Benzie	NR	15.8 ft	-
21	White Lake	Muskegon	NR	6.8 ft	-
22	Chippewa Lake	Mecosta	NR	11.5 ft	-
23	Crystal Lake	Montcalm	NR	10 ft	-
24	Middle Lake	Lapeer	NR	9 ft	-
25	Big Star Lake	Lake	NR	8 ft	-
26	Shavehead Lake	Cass	NR	7 ft	-
27	Wall Lake	Barry	NR	9.5 ft	-
28	Duck Lake	Muskegon	NR	10.5 ft	-
29	Eagle Lake	Cass	NR	6 ft	-
30	Whitefish Lake	Montcalm	NR	16.8 ft	-
31	Duck Lake	Gogebic	NR	9.5 ft	-
32	Round Lake	Mecosta	NR	8.5 ft	-
33	Crystal Lake	Gogebic	NR	10 ft	-
34	Eagle Lake	Allegan	NR	14 ft	-
35	Round Lake	Shiawassee	NR	6.5 ft	-
36	Round Lake	Oakland	NR	10 ft	-
37	Cranberry Lake	Oakland	NR	7.3 ft	-
38	Clear Lake	Jackson	NR	10 ft	-
39	Emerald Lake	Kent	NR	12.3 ft	-
40	Crystal Lake	Benzie	NR	32 ft	-
41	Batteese Lake	Jackson	NR	2.8 ft	-
42	Otter Lake	Oakland	NR	10 ft	-
43	Batteese Lake	Jackson	NR	3 ft	-
44	Crystal Lake	Hillsdale	NR	9.5 ft	-
45	Emerald Lake	Newaygo	NR	10.5 ft	-
46	Round Lake	Benzie	NR	15 ft	-
47	Fox Lake	Charlevoix	NR	5 ft	-
48	Otter Lake	Benzie	NR	12 ft	-
49	Diamond Lake	Osceola	NR	16 ft	-
50	Green Lake	Allegan	NR	8 ft	-

Showing top 50 of 59 lakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Michigan lakes have black crappie?

Black Crappie are found in 59 lakes in Michigan. The average water quality grade of these lakes is A (Excellent).

What are the best black crappie lakes in Michigan?

The best black crappie lakes in Michigan by water quality are Big Star Lake Central Basin; Lake Township, Kimball Lake Central Basin; Garfield Township, Whitefish Lake Southeast Basin; Pierson Township, Murray Lake East Basin; Grattan Township, Clear Lake East Basin; Waterloo Township.

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