Iowa darter Lakes in Minnesota & Wisconsin

Other SpeciesFound in 141 lakes

Rough fish like Iowa darter are often associated with eutrophic, nutrient-loaded waters. Their presence — documented in 141 Minnesota and Wisconsin lakes — is often a signal of how the rest of the fishery is functioning. Iowa darter is moderately distributed — present in 0 Minnesota lakes and 141 Wisconsin lakes. Some counties have it, others do not, so checking the per-lake pages matters.

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

141

Total Lakes

Minnesota

141

Wisconsin

Avg. Grade

Water Quality of Iowa darter Lakes

35%

38%

21%

Best Iowa darter Lakes by Water Quality

Top 50 lakes with iowa darter ranked by overall water quality grade.

Rank	Lake	County	State	Grade	Depth	Species
1	Squaw Lake	Kalkaska	MI	A	-	8
2	Corey Lake	St. Joseph	MI	A	-	13
3	Whitefish Lake Southeast Basin; Pierson Township	Montcalm	MI	A	-	21
4	Whitefish Lake	Montcalm	MI	A	-	21
5	Chicagon Lake	Iron	MI	A	-	2
6	Avery Lake North Basin; T29nr2e	Montmorency	MI	A	-	9
7	Pickerel Lake	Kalkaska	MI	A	-	29
8	Round Lake	Benzie	MI	A	-	37
9	Bear Lake Southeast Basin	Kalkaska	MI	A	-	9
10	Cub Lake Central Basin	Kalkaska	MI	A	-	14
11	Round Lake	Emmet	MI	A	-	2
12	Long Lake North Central Basin; Long Lake Township	Grand Traverse	MI	A	-	10
13	Avery Lake	Montmorency	MI	A	-	9
14	Indian Lake Northeast Basin; Blue Lake Township	Kalkaska	MI	A	-	11
15	Long Lake	Grand Traverse	MI	A	-	40
16	Beaver Lake Central Basin; Ossineke Township	Alpena	MI	A	-	15
17	Round Lake	Benzie	MI	A	-	37
18	Shag Lake	Marquette	MI	A	-	7
19	Lower Herring Lake East Basin; Blaire Township	Benzie	MI	A	-	25
20	Burt Lake	Cheboygan	MI	A	-	33
21	Papoose Lake Central Basin; Blue Lake Township	Kalkaska	MI	A	-	7
22	Papoose Lake	Kalkaska	MI	A	-	7
23	Lake Geneserath	Charlevoix	MI	A	-	12
24	Silver Lake	Cheboygan	MI	A	-	15
25	Long Lake	Cheboygan	MI	A	-	40
26	Douglas Lake	Otsego	MI	A	-	22
27	Bass Lake Northeast Basin	Kalkaska	MI	A	-	12
28	Indian Lake Central Basin; Stambaugh Township	Iron	MI	A	-	1
29	Manistee Lake South	Manistee	MI	A	-	7
30	Susan Lake	Charlevoix	MI	A	-	12
31	Walloon Lake	Emmet	MI	A	-	20
32	Crooked Lake	Emmet	MI	A	-	26
33	Spring Lake	Emmet	MI	A	-	15
34	Elk Lake	Antrim	MI	A	-	27
35	Big Blue Lake North Basin; Blue Lake Township	Kalkaska	MI	A	-	17
36	Silver Lake	Washtenaw	MI	A	-	15
37	Bass Lake	Leelanau	MI	A	-	13
38	Ore Lake West Basin; Hamburg Township	Livingston	MI	A	-	14
39	Rennie Lake; Central Basin; East Bay Township	Grand Traverse	MI	A	-	9
40	Squaw Lake Central Basin; Blue Lake Township	Kalkaska	MI	A	-	8
41	Pickerel Lake East Central Basin; Garfield Township Sec. 1	Newaygo	MI	A	-	21
42	Maceday Lake Central Basin; Waterford Township Section 7	Oakland	MI	A	-	26
43	Long Lake; Lake Township; Section 31	Benzie	MI	A	-	40
44	Clear Lake East Basin; Waterloo Township	Jackson	MI	A	-	17
45	Otter Lake	Benzie	MI	A	-	30
46	Fremont Lake North Central Basin;Sheridan Township Section 3	Newaygo	MI	A	-	23
47	North Crooked Lake South Central Basin; Blue Lake Township	Kalkaska	MI	A	-	6
48	Round Lake Central Basin	Lenawee	MI	A	-	25
49	Au Sable Lake East Central Basin,Goodar Township	Ogemaw	MI	A	-	11
50	Bass Lake	Lake	MI	B	-	7

Showing top 50 of 141 lakes with iowa darter.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many lakes have iowa darter?

Iowa darter are found in 141 lakes across Minnesota and Wisconsin, 0 in Minnesota and 141 in Wisconsin. The average water quality grade of lakes with iowa darter is B (Good).

What are the best lakes for iowa darter?

The best iowa darter lakes by water quality are Squaw Lake, Corey Lake, Whitefish Lake Southeast Basin; Pierson Township, Whitefish Lake, Chicagon Lake. These lakes have the highest water quality grades among all lakes where iowa darter have been documented by state DNR surveys.

What other fish are found with iowa darter?

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

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.