Grass Pickerel Fishing Guide, 42 Best-Graded Lakes

Rough fish like Grass Pickerel are often associated with eutrophic, nutrient-loaded waters. Their presence — documented in 42 the United States (49 states), Canada (Ontario, Québec, Nova Scotia, British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador), and 38 other country hubs. LakeQuality covers lakes — is often a signal of how the rest of the fishery is functioning. Grass Pickerel is narrowly distributed — only 42 lakes in Michigan 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 Grass Pickerel lake list below against the letter grades: lakes with both an A or B grade and Grass Pickerel documented are the best places to start for recreational targeting.

Grass Pickerel Seasonal Forecast & Techniques

Part of the LakeQuality Fishing Forecast. Spawn trigger: One of the earliest spawners — flooded marshy shallows right after ice-out at 40–52°F. Forage: Whatever fits: perch, ciscoes, suckers, panfish. For a forecast tuned to a specific lake's measured clarity and depth, open that lake's forecast.

Season	Where they hold	Structure & cover	Technique
Spring	shallow 2–8 ft	weedy bays, marsh mouths, warming flats	spoons, spinnerbaits, big soft plastics
Summer	weed edges 6–18 ft; big pike deeper/cooler	cabbage/coontail edges, deep weedlines, cool water	large spoons, jerkbaits, dead-bait for big fish
Fall	variable 6–25 ft	deep weed edges, drop-offs, cisco/tullibee lakes	big swimbaits, sucker/dead-bait rigs — trophy season
Winter / Ice	6–20 ft	weed edges and flats	tip-ups with large shiners/suckers

Clear-water tactics:jerkbaits & bucktailsnatural perch/cisco colorsStained-water tactics:bladed & rattling baitsbright chartreuse/orange, big profile

Total Lakes

Michigan lakes →

Avg. Grade

51 ft

Avg. Depth

Water Quality of Grass Pickerel Lakes

14%

Best Grass Pickerel Lakes by Water Quality

Top 50 lakes with grass pickerel ranked by overall water quality grade.

Rank	Lake	County	State	Grade	Depth	Species
1	Murray Lake	Kent	MI	A	-	29
2	Clear Lake	Jackson	MI	A	34 ft	17
3	Round Lake	Lenawee	MI	A	67 ft	25
4	Whitefish Lake	Montcalm	MI	A	-	21
5	Round Lake	Benzie	MI	A	-	37
6	Lime Lake	Benzie	MI	A	25 ft	15
7	Little Portage Lake	Washtenaw	MI	B	-	1
8	Round Lake	Shiawassee	MI	D	-	37
9	Long Lake	Gogebic	MI	NR	60 ft	40
10	Corey Lake	St. Joseph	MI	NR	-	13
11	Chippewa Lake	Mecosta	MI	NR	40 ft	21
12	Shavehead Lake	Cass	MI	NR	70 ft	25
13	Clear Lake	Ogemaw	MI	NR	50 ft	16
14	Shavehead Lake	Cass	MI	NR	70 ft	26
15	Lake Fenton	Genesee	MI	NR	90 ft	22
16	Twin Lake	Kalkaska	MI	NR	80 ft	13
17	Eagle Lake	Cass	MI	NR	35 ft	22
18	Wall Lake	Barry	MI	NR	36 ft	18
19	Bear Lake	Manistee	MI	NR	6 ft	14
20	White Lake	Muskegon	MI	NR	-	17
21	Eagle Lake	Allegan	MI	NR	-	30
22	Evans Lake	Lenawee	MI	NR	42 ft	19
23	White Lake	Oakland	MI	NR	-	17
24	Jordan Lake	Barry	MI	NR	-	23
25	Portage Lake	Jackson	MI	NR	40 ft	34
26	Mud Lake	Oakland	MI	NR	-	12
27	Clear Lake	Oakland	MI	NR	-	16
28	Long Lake	Grand Traverse	MI	NR	88 ft	40
29	Round Lake	Oakland	MI	NR	15 ft	37
30	Round Lake	Oakland	MI	NR	-	37
31	Long Lake	Benzie	MI	NR	-	40
32	Baldwin Lake	Cass	MI	NR	-	25
33	Long Lake	Cass	MI	NR	42 ft	25
34	Lake of the Woods	Branch	MI	NR	70 ft	16
35	Baldwins Lake	Cass	MI	NR	55 ft	33
36	Kimball Lake	Newaygo	MI	NR	40 ft	20
37	Paw Paw Lake	Hillsdale	MI	NR	-	4
38	Round Lake	Shiawassee	MI	NR	-	37
39	Paw Paw Lake	Kalamazoo	MI	NR	50 ft	4
40	Long Lake	Cheboygan	MI	NR	61 ft	40
41	Round Lake	Kent	MI	NR	-	37
42	Donnell Lake	Cass	MI	NR	-	26

Frequently Asked Questions

How many lakes have grass pickerel?

Grass Pickerel are found in 42 graded lakes: 42 in Michigan. The average water quality grade of lakes with grass pickerel is A (Excellent).

What are the best lakes for grass pickerel?

The best grass pickerel lakes by water quality are Murray Lake, Clear Lake, Round Lake, Whitefish Lake, Round Lake. These lakes have the highest water quality grades among all lakes where grass pickerel have been documented by state DNR surveys.

What other fish are found with grass pickerel?

Grass Pickerel are most commonly found alongside grass pickerel, bluegill, bluntnose minnow, pumpkinseed, iowa darter. These species share similar habitat preferences in the region's lakes.

Other Fish Species in Grass Pickerel Lakes

Bluegill Lakes

Found together in 40 lakes · 1,550 total

Bluntnose Minnow Lakes

Found together in 38 lakes · 160 total

Pumpkinseed Lakes

Found together in 36 lakes · 1,328 total

Iowa Darter Lakes

Found together in 35 lakes · 126 total

Largemouth Bass Lakes

Found together in 35 lakes · 2,489 total

Yellow Perch Lakes

Found together in 35 lakes · 1,577 total

Fish species from state agency survey, stocking, and public fishing-access records; water-quality grades from the EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys. Species profiles are general reference; always check current state regulations before fishing.