Green Sunfish Lakes in Michigan

Found in 86 Michigan lakes · 698 in Minnesota

Green Sunfish is panfish — the family of smaller, abundant species that anchor kid-friendly fishing and ice-fishing in Michigan. Documented in 784 lakes across our dataset. Green Sunfish is widely distributed: 698 lakes in Minnesota and 86 in Michigan. That breadth means anglers across most of the coverage area can find a documented Green Sunfish lake within a reasonable drive.

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

Michigan Lakes

Avg. Grade

Grade A Lakes

Counties

Green Sunfish Lakes Map

Every Michigan lake with documented green sunfish, colored by water-quality grade.

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Best Green Sunfish Lakes in Michigan

Rank	Lake	County	Grade	Clarity	Depth
1	Big Star Lake Central Basin; Lake Township	Lake	A	8 ft	-
2	Silver Lake	Washtenaw	A	11.5 ft	-
3	Rennie Lake; Central Basin; East Bay Township	Grand Traverse	A	13 ft	-
4	Long Lake South Central Basin	Cass	A	10.5 ft	-
5	Farewell Lake West Basin; Hanover Township	Jackson	A	11.8 ft	-
6	Squaw Lake Central Basin; Blue Lake Township	Kalkaska	A	16 ft	-
7	Kimball Lake Central Basin; Garfield Township	Newaygo	A	4.5 ft	-
8	Whitefish Lake Southeast Basin; Pierson Township	Montcalm	A	16 ft	-
9	Murray Lake East Basin; Grattan Township	Kent	A	7.2 ft	-
10	Clear Lake East Basin; Waterloo Township	Jackson	A	10 ft	-
11	Scram Lake East Basin; Oakfield Township	Kent	A	11.5 ft	-
12	Round Lake	Benzie	A	15 ft	-
13	Crystal Lake	Hillsdale	A	9.5 ft	-
14	Emerald Lake	Kent	A	12 ft	-
15	Grass Lake	Gladwin	A	4 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	Pleasant Lake Northwest Basin; Freedom Township	Washtenaw	A	5.8 ft	-
19	Loon Lake; Lake Twp	Benzie	A	12 ft	-
20	Lime Lake	Benzie	A	17.5 ft	-
21	Long Lake	Gogebic	A	12 ft	-
22	Cordley Lake Central Basin; Hamburg Township	Livingston	A	-	-
23	Loon Lake	Benzie	B	12.1 ft	-
24	Portage Lake South Basin; Dexter Township	Washtenaw	B	13 ft	-
25	Crystal Lake; East Central Basin; Watersmeet Township	Gogebic	B	11 ft	-
26	North Pond	Chippewa	B	-	-
27	South Pond	Chippewa	C	1.3 ft	-
28	Round Lake	Shiawassee	D	6 ft	-
29	Kimball Lake	Newaygo	NR	4.5 ft	-
30	Shavehead Lake East Basin; Porter Township	Cass	NR	7 ft	-
31	Squaw Lake	Kalkaska	NR	16 ft	-
32	Long Lake	Cass	NR	10.5 ft	-
33	Corey Lake	St. Joseph	NR	16 ft	-
34	Silver Lake	Washtenaw	NR	11.5 ft	-
35	Crystal Lake	Montcalm	NR	10 ft	-
36	Middle Lake	Lapeer	NR	9 ft	-
37	Big Star Lake	Lake	NR	8 ft	-
38	Shavehead Lake	Cass	NR	7 ft	-
39	Rennie Lake	Grand Traverse	NR	13 ft	-
40	Farewell Lake	Jackson	NR	11.5 ft	-
41	Wall Lake	Barry	NR	9.5 ft	-
42	Clark Lake	Livingston	NR	12 ft	-
43	Eagle Lake	Cass	NR	6 ft	-
44	Sylvan Lake	Newaygo	NR	13.5 ft	-
45	Whitefish Lake	Montcalm	NR	16.8 ft	-
46	Round Lake	Mecosta	NR	8.5 ft	-
47	Crystal Lake	Gogebic	NR	10 ft	-
48	Grass Lake	Gladwin	NR	4 ft	-
49	Eagle Lake	Allegan	NR	14 ft	-
50	Harwood Lake	Cass	NR	8.3 ft	-

Showing top 50 of 86 lakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Michigan lakes have green sunfish?

Green Sunfish are found in 86 lakes in Michigan. The average water quality grade of these lakes is A (Excellent).

What are the best green sunfish lakes in Michigan?

The best green sunfish lakes in Michigan by water quality are Big Star Lake Central Basin; Lake Township, Silver Lake, Rennie Lake; Central Basin; East Bay Township, Long Lake South Central Basin, Farewell Lake West Basin; Hanover Township.

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