Largemouth Bass Lakes in Michigan, 159 Lakes

Largemouth Bass is a primary Michigan sport-fishing target. 2,489 lakes have an official record of the species — the actual population almost certainly extends further, since not every lake gets a full DNR fishery survey every year. With 1,267 lakes in Minnesota, 1,063 in Wisconsin, and 159 in Michigan carrying a documented record, Largemouth Bass is one of the more accessible targets in the dataset.

Game-fish presence on a Michigan lake also signals enough water-quality stability to support the prey species the game fish depend on — perch, alewife, ciscoes — which themselves require reasonably oxygenated, clear water. The Largemouth Bass lakes with the lowest nutrient and algae readings tend to be the ones where the species does best, since the same water-clarity and nutrient conditions support both.

159

Michigan Lakes

Counties

Largemouth Bass Lakes Map

Every Michigan lake with documented largemouth bass.

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Best Largemouth Bass Lakes in Michigan

Rank	Lake	County	Clarity	Depth
1	Eagle Lake	Kalkaska	18 ft	20 ft
2	Rennie Lake	Grand Traverse	14 ft	27 ft
3	Emerald Lake	Kent	11.5 ft	-
4	Sawyer Lake	Dickinson	7 ft	20 ft
5	Hanbury Lake	Dickinson	14 ft	-
6	Lake George	Clare	9.5 ft	25 ft
7	Derby Lake	Montcalm	14 ft	87 ft
8	Duck Lake	Muskegon	11 ft	-
9	Muskellunge Lake	Kent	13.5 ft	-
10	Murray Lake	Kent	9 ft	-
11	Big Star Lake	Lake	9 ft	-
12	Crystal Lake	Washtenaw	12.5 ft	-
13	Round Lake	Lenawee	12.3 ft	67 ft
14	Spider Lake	Grand Traverse	12 ft	-
15	Sylvan Lake	Oakland	10.3 ft	-
16	Whitefish Lake	Montcalm	13.5 ft	-
17	Round Lake	Benzie	15 ft	-
18	Crystal Lake	Hillsdale	9.5 ft	-
19	Otter Lake	Benzie	12 ft	-
20	Little Platte Lake	Benzie	6.5 ft	8 ft
21	Twin Lakes	Oakland	5 ft	-
22	Twin Lakes	Crawford	19 ft	-
23	Loon Lake	Benzie	12 ft	-
24	Au Sable Lake	Ogemaw	10.5 ft	52 ft
25	Lime Lake	Benzie	17.5 ft	25 ft
26	Crooked Lake	Emmet	-	50 ft
27	Spring Lake	Emmet	-	-
28	Cordley Lake	Livingston	-	31 ft
29	Cranberry Lake	Oakland	8.5 ft	25 ft
30	Bass Lake	Leelanau	11.2 ft	-
31	Wolf Lake	Lake	10.5 ft	-
32	Lake George	Keweenaw	8 ft	-
33	Pleasant Lake	Oakland	10 ft	-
34	Papoose Lake	Kalkaska	22 ft	17 ft
35	Walloon Lake	Emmet	-	-
36	North Pond	Chippewa	1.3 ft	-
37	Round Lake	Shiawassee	6 ft	-
38	Sanford Lake	Benzie	17 ft	-
39	Pleasant Lake	Washtenaw	7.5 ft	36 ft
40	Silver Lake	Cheboygan	12.5 ft	-
41	Lake Bellaire	Antrim	12.5 ft	95 ft
42	Crooked Lake	Barry	12 ft	-
43	Island Lake	Grand Traverse	17 ft	-
44	Clifford Lake	Montcalm	10 ft	-
45	Long Lake	Gogebic	12 ft	60 ft
46	Hanbury Lake	Dickinson	14 ft	-
47	Corey Lake	St. Joseph	14.5 ft	-
48	Chippewa Lake	Mecosta	11 ft	40 ft
49	Pleasant Lake	Wexford	9 ft	10 ft
50	Opal Lake	Otsego	15.5 ft	40 ft

Showing top 50 of 159 lakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Michigan lakes have largemouth bass?

Largemouth Bass are found in 159 lakes in Michigan.

What are the best largemouth bass lakes in Michigan?

The best largemouth bass lakes in Michigan by water quality are Eagle Lake, Rennie Lake, Emerald Lake, Sawyer Lake, Hanbury Lake.

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