Northern Pike Lakes in Michigan, 89 Lakes

Northern Pike is one of the headline game-fish species in Michigan — the kind of catch that anchors fishing trips, cabin weekends, and the regional fishing economy. 2,386 lakes in our dataset have documented Northern Pike. Northern Pike is widely distributed: 1,428 lakes in Minnesota, 869 in Wisconsin, and 89 in Michigan. That breadth means anglers across most of the coverage area can find a documented Northern Pike lake within a reasonable drive.

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 Northern Pike 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.

Michigan Lakes

Counties

Northern Pike Lakes Map

Every Michigan lake with documented northern pike.

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Best Northern Pike Lakes in Michigan

Rank	Lake	County	Clarity	Depth
1	Emerald Lake	Kent	11.5 ft	-
2	Hanbury Lake	Dickinson	14 ft	-
3	Duck Lake	Muskegon	11 ft	-
4	Murray Lake	Kent	9 ft	-
5	Clear Lake	Jackson	10.5 ft	34 ft
6	Big Star Lake	Lake	9 ft	-
7	Sylvan Lake	Oakland	10.3 ft	-
8	Whitefish Lake	Montcalm	13.5 ft	-
9	Round Lake	Benzie	15 ft	-
10	Otter Lake	Benzie	12 ft	-
11	Sugarloaf Lake	Washtenaw	9.5 ft	10 ft
12	Lime Lake	Benzie	17.5 ft	25 ft
13	Crooked Lake	Emmet	-	50 ft
14	Cranberry Lake	Oakland	8.5 ft	25 ft
15	Lake Ahmik	Keweenaw	6.6 ft	-
16	Tamarack Lake	Livingston	7 ft	34 ft
17	Whitewood Lake	Livingston	10 ft	50 ft
18	Lake Richie	Keweenaw	9.2 ft	-
19	Beaver Lake	Keweenaw	8.9 ft	-
20	Beaver Lake	Alger	14.5 ft	39 ft
21	Feldtmann Lake	Keweenaw	7.5 ft	-
22	Pleasant Lake	Oakland	10 ft	-
23	Walloon Lake	Emmet	-	-
24	Lower Hamlin Lake	Mason	11.5 ft	-
25	Round Lake	Shiawassee	6 ft	-
26	Lower Herring Lake	Benzie	13 ft	50 ft
27	Lake Bellaire	Antrim	12.5 ft	95 ft
28	Crooked Lake	Barry	12 ft	-
29	Long Lake	Gogebic	12 ft	60 ft
30	Hanbury Lake	Dickinson	14 ft	-
31	Pleasant Lake	Wexford	9 ft	10 ft
32	Opal Lake	Otsego	15.5 ft	40 ft
33	Clear Lake	Ogemaw	15 ft	50 ft
34	Cranberry Lake	Oakland	8.5 ft	25 ft
35	Lake Fenton	Genesee	17.5 ft	90 ft
36	Twin Lake	Kalkaska	23 ft	80 ft
37	Emerald Lake	Newaygo	13.5 ft	49 ft
38	Eagle Lake	Cass	7 ft	35 ft
39	Cedar Lake	Alcona	9 ft	10 ft
40	Duck Lake	Gogebic	9 ft	25 ft
41	Lake Margrethe	Crawford	16 ft	65 ft
42	White Lake	Muskegon	6.8 ft	-
43	Pickerel Lake	Kalkaska	20 ft	72 ft
44	Hamlin Lake	Mason	9 ft	65 ft
45	Eagle Lake	Allegan	15 ft	-
46	Cedar Lake	Iosco	12 ft	-
47	Shingle Lake	Clare	10.5 ft	40 ft
48	Upper Herring Lake	Benzie	8 ft	25 ft
49	Sylvan Lake	Newaygo	16 ft	63 ft
50	Langford Lake	Gogebic	5.5 ft	15 ft

Showing top 50 of 89 lakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Michigan lakes have northern pike?

Northern Pike are found in 89 lakes in Michigan.

What are the best northern pike lakes in Michigan?

The best northern pike lakes in Michigan by water quality are Emerald Lake, Hanbury Lake, Duck Lake, Murray Lake, Clear Lake.

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