Iowa Darter Lakes in Michigan

Found in 129 Michigan lakes

Iowa Darter is a rough-fish species — typically common in productive, nutrient-rich lakes, sometimes treated as a management nuisance by anglers targeting game-fish. 129 lakes carry documentation. Iowa Darter is moderately distributed — 129 lakes in Michigan. 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.

129

Michigan Lakes

Avg. Grade

Grade A Lakes

Counties

Iowa Darter Lakes Map

Every Michigan lake with documented iowa darter, colored by water-quality grade.

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Best Iowa Darter Lakes in Michigan

Rank	Lake	County	Grade	Clarity	Depth
1	Silver Lake	Washtenaw	A	11.5 ft	-
2	Ore Lake West Basin; Hamburg Township	Livingston	A	10 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	Squaw Lake Central Basin; Blue Lake Township	Kalkaska	A	16 ft	-
6	Kimball Lake Central Basin; Garfield Township	Newaygo	A	4.5 ft	-
7	Whitefish Lake Southeast Basin; Pierson Township	Montcalm	A	16 ft	-
8	Murray Lake East Basin; Grattan Township	Kent	A	7.2 ft	-
9	Clear Lake East Basin; Waterloo Township	Jackson	A	10 ft	-
10	Scram Lake East Basin; Oakfield Township	Kent	A	11.5 ft	-
11	Round Lake	Benzie	A	15 ft	-
12	Bear Lake Southeast Basin	Kalkaska	A	36.5 ft	-
13	Cub Lake Central Basin	Kalkaska	A	19 ft	-
14	Otter Lake	Benzie	A	12 ft	-
15	Long Lake North Central Basin; Long Lake Township	Grand Traverse	A	23.8 ft	-
16	North Crooked Lake South Central Basin; Blue Lake Township	Kalkaska	A	13.5 ft	-
17	Emerald Lake	Kent	A	12 ft	-
18	Beaver Lake Central Basin; Ossineke Township	Alpena	A	16 ft	-
19	Wakeley Lake; Central Basin; Grayling Township	Crawford	A	6.5 ft	-
20	Lower Herring Lake East Basin; Blaire Township	Benzie	A	16 ft	-
21	Pleasant Lake Northwest Basin; Freedom Township	Washtenaw	A	5.8 ft	-
22	Round Lake Central Basin	Lenawee	A	12 ft	-
23	Long Lake	Gogebic	A	12 ft	-
24	Manistee Lake South	Manistee	A	-	-
25	Shingle Lake South Basin; Lincoln Township	Clare	A	-	-
26	Lake George; Central Deep Basin; Lincoln Township	Clare	A	-	-
27	Big Blue Lake North Basin; Blue Lake Township	Kalkaska	A	-	-
28	Bass Lake	Leelanau	B	11.2 ft	-
29	Portage Lake South Basin; Dexter Township	Washtenaw	B	13 ft	-
30	Lake George	Keweenaw	B	8 ft	-
31	Tamarack Lake North Basin; Hamburg Township	Livingston	B	7 ft	-
32	Barneys Lake	Charlevoix	B	10 ft	-
33	Papoose Lake Central Basin; Blue Lake Township	Kalkaska	B	21 ft	-
34	Crooked Lake	Emmet	B	-	-
35	North Pond	Chippewa	B	-	-
36	Round Lake	Shiawassee	D	6 ft	-
37	Kimball Lake	Newaygo	NR	4.5 ft	-
38	Shavehead Lake East Basin; Porter Township	Cass	NR	7 ft	-
39	Squaw Lake	Kalkaska	NR	16 ft	-
40	Bass Lake	Lake	NR	14 ft	-
41	Long Lake	Cass	NR	10.5 ft	-
42	Bear Lake	Manistee	NR	11 ft	-
43	Corey Lake	St. Joseph	NR	16 ft	-
44	White Lake	Muskegon	NR	6.8 ft	-
45	Chippewa Lake	Mecosta	NR	11.5 ft	-
46	Silver Lake	Washtenaw	NR	11.5 ft	-
47	Bass Lake	Montcalm	NR	10.8 ft	-
48	Shavehead Lake	Cass	NR	7 ft	-
49	Rennie Lake	Grand Traverse	NR	13 ft	-
50	Wall Lake	Barry	NR	9.5 ft	-

Showing top 50 of 129 lakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Michigan lakes have iowa darter?

Iowa Darter are found in 129 lakes in Michigan. The average water quality grade of these lakes is A (Excellent).

What are the best iowa darter lakes in Michigan?

The best iowa darter lakes in Michigan by water quality are Silver Lake, Ore Lake West Basin; Hamburg Township, Rennie Lake; Central Basin; East Bay Township, Long Lake South Central Basin, Squaw Lake Central 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.