Creek chub Lakes in Minnesota & Wisconsin

Other SpeciesFound in 50 lakes

Rough fish like Creek chub are often associated with eutrophic, nutrient-loaded waters. Their presence — documented in 50 Minnesota and Wisconsin lakes — is often a signal of how the rest of the fishery is functioning. Creek chub is narrowly distributed — only 0 Minnesota lakes and 50 Wisconsin lakes have a documented record. The constraint is usually habitat: cold water, specific depth profile, or river connection.

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

Total Lakes

Minnesota

Wisconsin

Avg. Grade

Water Quality of Creek chub Lakes

38%

42%

16%

Best Creek chub Lakes by Water Quality

Top 50 lakes with creek chub ranked by overall water quality grade.

Rank	Lake	County	State	Grade	Depth	Species
1	Sanford Lake	Benzie	MI	A	-	17
2	Avery Lake North Basin; T29nr2e	Montmorency	MI	A	-	9
3	Pickerel Lake	Kalkaska	MI	A	-	29
4	Lake Margrethe	Crawford	MI	A	-	21
5	Higgins Lake East Basin	Roscommon	MI	A	-	11
6	Avery Lake	Montmorency	MI	A	-	9
7	Long Lake	Grand Traverse	MI	A	-	40
8	Lower Herring Lake East Basin; Blaire Township	Benzie	MI	A	-	25
9	Burt Lake	Cheboygan	MI	A	-	33
10	Long Lake	Cheboygan	MI	A	-	40
11	Douglas Lake	Otsego	MI	A	-	22
12	Bass Lake Northeast Basin	Kalkaska	MI	A	-	12
13	Elk Lake	Antrim	MI	A	-	27
14	Gun Lake Central Basin; Freesoil Township	Mason	MI	A	-	6
15	Long Lake; Lake Township; Section 31	Benzie	MI	A	-	40
16	Fremont Lake North Central Basin;Sheridan Township Section 3	Newaygo	MI	A	-	23
17	Duck Lake; Center of Deepest Basin; Fruitland Township	Muskegon	MI	A	-	22
18	Round Lake Central Basin	Lenawee	MI	A	-	25
19	Upper Woodcock Lake; Almira Twp	Benzie	MI	A	-	9
20	Long Lake	Cass	MI	B	-	25
21	Lake Ann	Benzie	MI	B	-	10
22	Duck Lake	Muskegon	MI	B	-	22
23	Rose Lake	Osceola	MI	B	-	8
24	Eagle Lake	Allegan	MI	B	-	30
25	Long Lake	Gogebic	MI	B	-	40
26	Long Lake	Benzie	MI	B	-	40
27	Devils Lake	Lenawee	MI	B	-	27
28	Deer Lake	Charlevoix	MI	B	-	14
29	Lower Woodcock Lake	Benzie	MI	B	-	9
30	Mullett Lake	Cheboygan	MI	B	-	23
31	Lower Herring Lake	Benzie	MI	B	-	25
32	Lower Woodcock Lake; Almira Twp	Benzie	MI	B	-	9
33	Elk Lake	Antrim	MI	B	-	27
34	Sanford Lake	Benzie	MI	B	-	17
35	Douglas Lake	Cheboygan	MI	B	-	22
36	Upper Woodcock Lake	Benzie	MI	B	-	9
37	Bass Lake Central Basin; Forsyth Township	Marquette	MI	B	-	10
38	Long Lake	Gogebic	MI	B	-	40
39	Big Star Lake Central Basin; Lake Township	Lake	MI	B	-	18
40	Duck Lake North Basin; Watersmeet Township	Gogebic	MI	B	-	16
41	Kimball Lake Central Basin; Garfield Township	Newaygo	MI	C	-	21
42	Duck Lake	Gogebic	MI	C	-	16
43	Brown Lake	Jackson	MI	C	-	6
44	Baldwin Lake Northwest Basin	Cass	MI	C	-	25
45	Baldwins Lake	Cass	MI	C	-	33
46	Duck Lake	Muskegon	MI	C	-	22
47	Rose Lake	Shiawassee	MI	C	-	17
48	Viking Lake Central Basin; Otsego Lake Township; T29n R3w Sect 24	Otsego	MI	C	-	18
49	Kimball Lake	Newaygo	MI	D	-	20
50	Rose Lake	Shiawassee	MI	D	-	17

Frequently Asked Questions

How many lakes have creek chub?

Creek chub are found in 50 lakes across Minnesota and Wisconsin, 0 in Minnesota and 50 in Wisconsin. The average water quality grade of lakes with creek chub is B (Good).

What are the best lakes for creek chub?

The best creek chub lakes by water quality are Sanford Lake, Avery Lake North Basin; T29nr2e, Pickerel Lake, Lake Margrethe, Higgins Lake East Basin. These lakes have the highest water quality grades among all lakes where creek chub have been documented by state DNR surveys.

What other fish are found with creek chub?

Creek chub are most commonly found alongside bluntnose minnow, yellow perch, bluegill, rock bass, pumpkinseed. These species share similar habitat preferences in the region's lakes.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.