Largemouth bass Lakes in Michigan

Found in 172 Michigan lakes

Rough fish like Largemouth bass are often associated with eutrophic, nutrient-loaded waters. Their presence — documented in 172 Michigan lakes — is often a signal of how the rest of the fishery is functioning. Largemouth bass is moderately distributed — 172 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 Largemouth bass lake list below against the LakeGrade rubric: lakes with both an A or B grade and Largemouth bass documented are the best places to start for recreational targeting.

172

Michigan Lakes

Avg. Grade

Grade A Lakes

Counties

Best Largemouth bass Lakes in Michigan

Rank	Lake	County	Grade	Clarity	Depth
1	Windover Lake South Basin; Freeman Township	Clare	A	15 ft	-
2	Sanford Lake	Benzie	A	15.8 ft	-
3	Squaw Lake	Kalkaska	A	16 ft	-
4	Corey Lake	St. Joseph	A	16 ft	-
5	Windover Lake	Clare	A	15 ft	-
6	Corey Lake Southeastern Basin; Fabius Township	St. Joseph	A	16 ft	-
7	Twin Lake	Kalkaska	A	23 ft	-
8	Whitefish Lake Southeast Basin; Pierson Township	Montcalm	A	16 ft	-
9	Whitefish Lake	Montcalm	A	16.8 ft	-
10	Eagle Lake	Kalkaska	A	17 ft	-
11	Island Lake	Grand Traverse	A	15 ft	-
12	Arbutus Lake North Basin	Grand Traverse	A	15.8 ft	-
13	Cub Lake Central Basin	Kalkaska	A	19 ft	-
14	Pickerel Lake	Kalkaska	A	15 ft	-
15	Round Lake	Benzie	A	15 ft	-
16	Bear Lake Southeast Basin	Kalkaska	A	36.5 ft	-
17	Round Lake	Emmet	A	-	-
18	Lake Margrethe	Crawford	A	16 ft	-
19	Long Lake North Central Basin; Long Lake Township	Grand Traverse	A	23.8 ft	-
20	Eagle Lake Central Basin; Blue Lake Township	Kalkaska	A	17 ft	-
21	Indian Lake Northeast Basin; Blue Lake Township	Kalkaska	A	15.5 ft	-
22	Long Lake	Grand Traverse	A	24 ft	-
23	Beaver Lake Central Basin; Ossineke Township	Alpena	A	16 ft	-
24	Eagle Lake East Basin; Paw Paw Township	Van Buren	A	17 ft	-
25	Cub Lake	Kalkaska	A	19.5 ft	-
26	Opal Lake	Otsego	A	18.5 ft	-
27	Eagle Lake	Van Buren	A	15 ft	-
28	Round Lake	Benzie	A	15 ft	-
29	Diamond Lake	Osceola	A	16 ft	-
30	Burt Lake	Cheboygan	A	15.5 ft	-
31	Twin Lakes; Grayling Twp	Crawford	A	19 ft	-
32	Papoose Lake Central Basin; Blue Lake Township	Kalkaska	A	21 ft	-
33	Papoose Lake	Kalkaska	A	20 ft	-
34	Silver Lake	Cheboygan	A	32 ft	-
35	Lake Geneserath	Charlevoix	A	16.5 ft	-
36	Long Lake	Cheboygan	A	18 ft	-
37	Big Bear Lake	Otsego	A	15 ft	-
38	Douglas Lake	Otsego	A	16.5 ft	-
39	Lime Lake	Benzie	A	17.5 ft	-
40	Bass Lake Northeast Basin	Kalkaska	A	18.5 ft	-
41	Susan Lake	Charlevoix	A	-	-
42	Walloon Lake	Emmet	A	-	-
43	Crooked Lake	Emmet	A	-	-
44	Spring Lake	Emmet	A	-	-
45	Cordley Lake Central Basin; Hamburg Township	Livingston	A	-	-
46	Loon Lake	Benzie	A	12.1 ft	-
47	West Twin Lake East Basin; Albert Township	Montmorency	A	13 ft	-
48	Silver Lake	Washtenaw	A	11.5 ft	-
49	Bass Lake	Leelanau	A	11.2 ft	-
50	Rennie Lake; Central Basin; East Bay Township	Grand Traverse	A	13 ft	-

Showing top 50 of 172 lakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Michigan lakes have largemouth bass?

Largemouth bass are found in 172 lakes in Michigan. The average water quality grade of these lakes is B (Good).

What are the best largemouth bass lakes in Michigan?

The best largemouth bass lakes in Michigan by water quality are Windover Lake South Basin; Freeman Township, Sanford Lake, Squaw Lake, Corey Lake, Windover Lake.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.