Bluegill Lakes in Michigan

Found in 178 Michigan lakes

Bluegill is panfish — the family of smaller, abundant species that anchor kid-friendly fishing and ice-fishing in Michigan. Documented in 178 lakes across our dataset. Bluegill is moderately distributed — 178 lakes in Michigan. Some counties have it, others do not, so checking the per-lake pages matters.

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

178

Michigan Lakes

Avg. Grade

Grade A Lakes

Counties

Best Bluegill Lakes in Michigan

Rank	Lake	County	Grade	Clarity	Depth
1	Windover Lake South Basin; Freeman Township	Clare	A	15 ft	-
2	Sanford Lake	Benzie	A	15.8 ft	-
3	Corey Lake	St. Joseph	A	16 ft	-
4	Windover Lake	Clare	A	15 ft	-
5	Corey Lake Southeastern Basin; Fabius Township	St. Joseph	A	16 ft	-
6	Twin Lake	Kalkaska	A	23 ft	-
7	Whitefish Lake Southeast Basin; Pierson Township	Montcalm	A	16 ft	-
8	Whitefish Lake	Montcalm	A	16.8 ft	-
9	Arbutus Lake South Central Basin	Grand Traverse	A	19 ft	-
10	Cub Lake Central Basin	Kalkaska	A	19 ft	-
11	Pickerel Lake	Kalkaska	A	15 ft	-
12	Round Lake	Benzie	A	15 ft	-
13	Lake Margrethe	Crawford	A	16 ft	-
14	Long Lake North Central Basin; Long Lake Township	Grand Traverse	A	23.8 ft	-
15	Long Lake	Grand Traverse	A	24 ft	-
16	Beaver Lake Central Basin; Ossineke Township	Alpena	A	16 ft	-
17	Eagle Lake East Basin; Paw Paw Township	Van Buren	A	17 ft	-
18	Cub Lake	Kalkaska	A	19.5 ft	-
19	Eagle Lake	Van Buren	A	15 ft	-
20	Round Lake	Benzie	A	15 ft	-
21	Diamond Lake	Osceola	A	16 ft	-
22	Arbutus Lake Central Basin	Grand Traverse	A	17.3 ft	-
23	Lower Herring Lake East Basin; Blaire Township	Benzie	A	16 ft	-
24	Burt Lake	Cheboygan	A	15.5 ft	-
25	Twin Lakes; Grayling Twp	Crawford	A	19 ft	-
26	Silver Lake	Cheboygan	A	32 ft	-
27	Lake Geneserath	Charlevoix	A	16.5 ft	-
28	Long Lake	Cheboygan	A	18 ft	-
29	Douglas Lake	Otsego	A	16.5 ft	-
30	Stone Lake Central Basin; Jefferson Township	Cass	A	16 ft	-
31	Lime Lake	Benzie	A	17.5 ft	-
32	Susan Lake	Charlevoix	A	-	-
33	Walloon Lake	Emmet	A	-	-
34	Crooked Lake	Emmet	A	-	-
35	Spring Lake	Emmet	A	-	-
36	Elk Lake	Antrim	A	-	-
37	Loon Lake	Benzie	A	12.1 ft	-
38	Silver Lake	Washtenaw	A	11.5 ft	-
39	Bass Lake	Leelanau	A	11.2 ft	-
40	Rennie Lake; Central Basin; East Bay Township	Grand Traverse	A	13 ft	-
41	Farewell Lake West Basin; Hanover Township	Jackson	A	11.8 ft	-
42	Gun Lake Central Basin; Freesoil Township	Mason	A	14 ft	-
43	Clear Lake East Basin; Waterloo Township	Jackson	A	10 ft	-
44	Otter Lake	Benzie	A	12 ft	-
45	Duck Lake; Center of Deepest Basin; Fruitland Township	Muskegon	A	10.5 ft	-
46	Fishers Lake North Central Basin; Park Township	St. Joseph	A	10.5 ft	-
47	Devils Lake Central Basin North	Lenawee	A	10.8 ft	-
48	Round Lake Central Basin	Lenawee	A	12 ft	-
49	Loon Lake; Lake Twp	Benzie	A	12 ft	-
50	Perch Lake	Otsego	A	11.3 ft	-

Showing top 50 of 178 lakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Michigan lakes have bluegill?

Bluegill are found in 178 lakes in Michigan. The average water quality grade of these lakes is B (Good).

What are the best bluegill lakes in Michigan?

The best bluegill lakes in Michigan by water quality are Windover Lake South Basin; Freeman Township, Sanford Lake, Corey Lake, Windover Lake, Corey Lake Southeastern Basin; Fabius Township.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.