Blacknose shiner Lakes in Minnesota & Wisconsin

Other SpeciesFound in 100 lakes

Blacknose shiner is a rough-fish species — typically common in productive, nutrient-rich lakes, sometimes treated as a management nuisance by anglers targeting game-fish. 100 lakes carry documentation. Blacknose shiner is moderately distributed — present in 0 Minnesota lakes and 100 Wisconsin lakes. Some counties have it, others do not, so checking the per-lake pages matters.

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 Blacknose shiner lake list below against the LakeGrade rubric: lakes with both an A or B grade and Blacknose shiner documented are the best places to start for recreational targeting.

100

Total Lakes

Minnesota

100

Wisconsin

Avg. Grade

Water Quality of Blacknose shiner Lakes

35%

37%

21%

Best Blacknose shiner Lakes by Water Quality

Top 50 lakes with blacknose shiner ranked by overall water quality grade.

Rank	Lake	County	State	Grade	Depth	Species
1	Squaw Lake	Kalkaska	MI	A	-	8
2	Twin Lake	Kalkaska	MI	A	-	13
3	Pickerel Lake	Kalkaska	MI	A	-	29
4	Round Lake	Benzie	MI	A	-	37
5	Long Lake North Central Basin; Long Lake Township	Grand Traverse	MI	A	-	10
6	Higgins Lake Northwest Basin	Roscommon	MI	A	-	12
7	Indian Lake Northeast Basin; Blue Lake Township	Kalkaska	MI	A	-	11
8	Long Lake	Grand Traverse	MI	A	-	40
9	Eagle Lake East Basin; Paw Paw Township	Van Buren	MI	A	-	12
10	Eagle Lake	Van Buren	MI	A	-	12
11	Round Lake	Benzie	MI	A	-	37
12	Diamond Lake	Osceola	MI	A	-	25
13	Shag Lake	Marquette	MI	A	-	7
14	Papoose Lake Central Basin; Blue Lake Township	Kalkaska	MI	A	-	7
15	Papoose Lake	Kalkaska	MI	A	-	7
16	Thumb Lake	Charlevoix	MI	A	-	3
17	Long Lake	Cheboygan	MI	A	-	40
18	Douglas Lake	Otsego	MI	A	-	22
19	Bass Lake Northeast Basin	Kalkaska	MI	A	-	12
20	Susan Lake	Charlevoix	MI	A	-	12
21	Walloon Lake	Emmet	MI	A	-	20
22	Spring Lake	Emmet	MI	A	-	15
23	Elk Lake	Antrim	MI	A	-	27
24	Big Blue Lake North Basin; Blue Lake Township	Kalkaska	MI	A	-	17
25	Farewell Lake West Basin; Hanover Township	Jackson	MI	A	-	18
26	Squaw Lake Central Basin; Blue Lake Township	Kalkaska	MI	A	-	8
27	Pickerel Lake East Central Basin; Garfield Township Sec. 1	Newaygo	MI	A	-	21
28	Lake Harvey	Keweenaw	MI	A	-	5
29	Maceday Lake Central Basin; Waterford Township Section 7	Oakland	MI	A	-	26
30	Long Lake; Lake Township; Section 31	Benzie	MI	A	-	40
31	Clear Lake East Basin; Waterloo Township	Jackson	MI	A	-	17
32	Otter Lake	Benzie	MI	A	-	30
33	Fremont Lake North Central Basin;Sheridan Township Section 3	Newaygo	MI	A	-	23
34	Fishers Lake North Central Basin; Park Township	St. Joseph	MI	A	-	8
35	Round Lake Central Basin	Lenawee	MI	A	-	25
36	Long Lake	Cass	MI	B	-	25
37	Bear Lake	Manistee	MI	B	-	14
38	Chippewa Lake	Mecosta	MI	B	-	21
39	Lake Richie	Keweenaw	MI	B	-	11
40	Long Lake South Central Basin	Cass	MI	B	-	25
41	Farewell Lake	Jackson	MI	B	-	18
42	Clark Lake	Livingston	MI	B	-	20
43	Sylvan Lake	Newaygo	MI	B	-	14
44	Emerald Lake Central Basin; Brooks Township ; Section 6	Newaygo	MI	B	-	18
45	Round Lake; Independence Township; Section 2	Oakland	MI	B	-	37
46	Murray Lake East Basin; Grattan Township	Kent	MI	B	-	29
47	Eagle Lake	Allegan	MI	B	-	30
48	Long Lake	Gogebic	MI	B	-	40
49	Sand Lake	Lenawee	MI	B	-	8
50	Lake of the Woods	Branch	MI	B	-	16

Showing top 50 of 100 lakes with blacknose shiner.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many lakes have blacknose shiner?

Blacknose shiner are found in 100 lakes across Minnesota and Wisconsin, 0 in Minnesota and 100 in Wisconsin. The average water quality grade of lakes with blacknose shiner is B (Good).

What are the best lakes for blacknose shiner?

The best blacknose shiner lakes by water quality are Squaw Lake, Twin Lake, Pickerel Lake, Round Lake, Long Lake North Central Basin; Long Lake Township. These lakes have the highest water quality grades among all lakes where blacknose shiner have been documented by state DNR surveys.

What other fish are found with blacknose shiner?

Blacknose shiner are most commonly found alongside yellow perch, bluntnose minnow, largemouth bass, iowa darter, bluegill. These species share similar habitat preferences in the region's lakes.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.