Brown Bullhead Lakes in Michigan

Found in 49 Michigan lakes · 837 in Minnesota

Brown Bullhead fits the catfish niche: tolerant of warm, turbid water, often present in productive (eutrophic) lakes. 886 lakes in our dataset have a record. Brown Bullhead is widely distributed: 837 lakes in Minnesota and 49 in Michigan. That breadth means anglers across most of the coverage area can find a documented Brown Bullhead lake within a reasonable drive.

Catfish-bearing lakes are often productive systems — the kind where the fish do well even when clarity does not. Cross-reference the Brown Bullhead lake list below against the LakeGrade rubric: lakes with both an A or B grade and Brown Bullhead documented are the best places to start for recreational targeting.

Michigan Lakes

Avg. Grade

Grade A Lakes

Counties

Brown Bullhead Lakes Map

Every Michigan lake with documented brown bullhead, colored by water-quality grade.

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Best Brown Bullhead Lakes in Michigan

Rank	Lake	County	Grade	Clarity	Depth
1	Rennie Lake; Central Basin; East Bay Township	Grand Traverse	A	13 ft	-
2	Upper Herring Lake; Central Basin; Blaine Township	Benzie	A	8 ft	-
3	Murray Lake East Basin; Grattan Township	Kent	A	7.2 ft	-
4	Clear Lake East Basin; Waterloo Township	Jackson	A	10 ft	-
5	Big Twin Lake Southeast Basin; Blue Lake Township	Kalkaska	A	23 ft	-
6	Otter Lake	Benzie	A	12 ft	-
7	Beaver Lake Central Basin; Ossineke Township	Alpena	A	16 ft	-
8	Lower Herring Lake East Basin; Blaire Township	Benzie	A	16 ft	-
9	Lime Lake	Benzie	A	17.5 ft	-
10	Long Lake	Gogebic	A	12 ft	-
11	Beaver Lake	Keweenaw	B	8 ft	-
12	Barneys Lake	Charlevoix	B	10 ft	-
13	Crooked Lake	Emmet	B	-	-
14	Shavehead Lake East Basin; Porter Township	Cass	NR	7 ft	-
15	Chippewa Lake	Mecosta	NR	11.5 ft	-
16	Middle Lake	Lapeer	NR	9 ft	-
17	Shavehead Lake	Cass	NR	7 ft	-
18	Rennie Lake	Grand Traverse	NR	13 ft	-
19	Cedar Lake	Alcona	NR	8 ft	-
20	Duck Lake	Muskegon	NR	10.5 ft	-
21	Twin Lake	Kalkaska	NR	23 ft	-
22	Muskellunge Lake	Montcalm	NR	9.5 ft	-
23	Pickerel Lake	Kalkaska	NR	15 ft	-
24	Long Lake	Gogebic	NR	11.5 ft	-
25	Upper Herring Lake	Benzie	NR	7.5 ft	-
26	Lake Margrethe	Crawford	NR	16 ft	-
27	Long Lake	Benzie	NR	11.5 ft	-
28	Clear Lake	Jackson	NR	10 ft	-
29	Long Lake	Grand Traverse	NR	24 ft	-
30	Beaver Lake	Alpena	NR	16 ft	-
31	Otter Lake	Oakland	NR	10 ft	-
32	Crooked Lake	Barry	NR	10 ft	-
33	Barneys Lake	Charlevoix	NR	10 ft	-
34	Otter Lake	Benzie	NR	12 ft	-
35	Diamond Lake	Osceola	NR	16 ft	-
36	Monocle Lake	Chippewa	NR	16 ft	-
37	Burt Lake	Cheboygan	NR	15.5 ft	-
38	Carter Lake	Barry	NR	4 ft	-
39	Lake Geneserath	Charlevoix	NR	16.5 ft	-
40	Lower Herring Lake	Benzie	NR	13.8 ft	-
41	Long Lake	Cheboygan	NR	18 ft	-
42	Pickerel Lake	Emmet	NR	9.5 ft	-
43	Carter Lake Northwest Basin	Barry	NR	4.5 ft	-
44	Douglas Lake	Cheboygan	NR	12 ft	-
45	Douglas Lake	Otsego	NR	16.5 ft	-
46	Pettibone Lake North Basin	Newaygo	NR	11.5 ft	-
47	Maston Lake	Kent	NR	-	-
48	Duck Lake	Muskegon	NR	8.5 ft	-
49	Walloon Lake	Emmet	NR	-	-

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Michigan lakes have brown bullhead?

Brown Bullhead are found in 49 lakes in Michigan. The average water quality grade of these lakes is A (Excellent).

What are the best brown bullhead lakes in Michigan?

The best brown bullhead lakes in Michigan by water quality are Rennie Lake; Central Basin; East Bay Township, Upper Herring Lake; Central Basin; Blaine Township, Murray Lake East Basin; Grattan Township, Clear Lake East Basin; Waterloo Township, Big Twin Lake Southeast Basin; Blue Lake Township.

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