Johnny darter Lakes in Minnesota & Wisconsin

Other SpeciesFound in 119 lakes

Rough fish like Johnny darter are often associated with eutrophic, nutrient-loaded waters. Their presence — documented in 119 Minnesota and Wisconsin lakes — is often a signal of how the rest of the fishery is functioning. Johnny darter is moderately distributed — present in 0 Minnesota lakes and 119 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 Johnny darter lake list below against the LakeGrade rubric: lakes with both an A or B grade and Johnny darter documented are the best places to start for recreational targeting.

119

Total Lakes

Minnesota

119

Wisconsin

Avg. Grade

Water Quality of Johnny darter Lakes

35%

41%

20%

Best Johnny darter Lakes by Water Quality

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

Rank	Lake	County	State	Grade	Depth	Species
1	Windover Lake South Basin; Freeman Township	Clare	MI	A	-	8
2	Sanford Lake	Benzie	MI	A	-	17
3	Windover Lake	Clare	MI	A	-	8
4	Whitefish Lake Southeast Basin; Pierson Township	Montcalm	MI	A	-	21
5	Whitefish Lake	Montcalm	MI	A	-	21
6	Opal Lake Central Basin;Otesgo Lake Township Sec12	Otsego	MI	A	-	12
7	Pickerel Lake	Kalkaska	MI	A	-	29
8	Round Lake	Benzie	MI	A	-	37
9	Lake Margrethe	Crawford	MI	A	-	21
10	Higgins Lake East Basin	Roscommon	MI	A	-	11
11	Higgins Lake Northwest Basin	Roscommon	MI	A	-	12
12	Crystal Lake	Benzie	MI	A	-	9
13	Long Lake	Grand Traverse	MI	A	-	40
14	Beaver Lake Central Basin; Ossineke Township	Alpena	MI	A	-	15
15	Opal Lake	Otsego	MI	A	-	11
16	Round Lake	Benzie	MI	A	-	37
17	Diamond Lake	Osceola	MI	A	-	25
18	Monocle Lake	Chippewa	MI	A	-	13
19	Lower Herring Lake East Basin; Blaire Township	Benzie	MI	A	-	25
20	Burt Lake	Cheboygan	MI	A	-	33
21	Lake Geneserath	Charlevoix	MI	A	-	12
22	Silver Lake	Cheboygan	MI	A	-	15
23	Long Lake	Cheboygan	MI	A	-	40
24	Douglas Lake	Otsego	MI	A	-	22
25	Crooked Lake	Emmet	MI	A	-	26
26	Spring Lake	Emmet	MI	A	-	15
27	Elk Lake	Antrim	MI	A	-	27
28	West Twin Lake East Basin; Albert Township	Montmorency	MI	A	-	2
29	Silver Lake	Washtenaw	MI	A	-	15
30	Ore Lake West Basin; Hamburg Township	Livingston	MI	A	-	14
31	Farewell Lake West Basin; Hanover Township	Jackson	MI	A	-	18
32	Pickerel Lake East Central Basin; Garfield Township Sec. 1	Newaygo	MI	A	-	21
33	Beaver Lake	Alger	MI	A	-	14
34	Maceday Lake Central Basin; Waterford Township Section 7	Oakland	MI	A	-	26
35	Barlow Lake Central Basin; Yankee Springs Township Sec6	Barry	MI	A	-	11
36	Long Lake; Lake Township; Section 31	Benzie	MI	A	-	40
37	Otter Lake	Benzie	MI	A	-	30
38	Fremont Lake North Central Basin;Sheridan Township Section 3	Newaygo	MI	A	-	23
39	Fishers Lake North Central Basin; Park Township	St. Joseph	MI	A	-	8
40	Sand Lake Central Basin; Cambridge Township	Lenawee	MI	A	-	6
41	Round Lake Central Basin	Lenawee	MI	A	-	25
42	Au Sable Lake East Central Basin,Goodar Township	Ogemaw	MI	A	-	11
43	Long Lake	Cass	MI	B	-	25
44	Chippewa Lake	Mecosta	MI	B	-	21
45	Silver Lake	Washtenaw	MI	B	-	15
46	Portage Lake South Basin; Dexter Township	Washtenaw	MI	B	-	26
47	Crystal Lake	Montcalm	MI	B	-	16
48	Long Lake South Central Basin	Cass	MI	B	-	25
49	Beaver Lake	Keweenaw	MI	B	-	16
50	Farewell Lake	Jackson	MI	B	-	18

Showing top 50 of 119 lakes with johnny darter.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many lakes have johnny darter?

Johnny darter are found in 119 lakes across Minnesota and Wisconsin, 0 in Minnesota and 119 in Wisconsin. The average water quality grade of lakes with johnny darter is B (Good).

What are the best lakes for johnny darter?

The best johnny darter lakes by water quality are Windover Lake South Basin; Freeman Township, Sanford Lake, Windover Lake, Whitefish Lake Southeast Basin; Pierson Township, Whitefish Lake. These lakes have the highest water quality grades among all lakes where johnny darter have been documented by state DNR surveys.

What other fish are found with johnny darter?

Johnny 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.