Pumpkinseed Lakes in Minnesota, Wisconsin & Michigan

PanfishFound in 145 lakes

Panfish like Pumpkinseed are the workhorses of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan recreational fishing — abundant, accessible, present in 145 surveyed lakes. Pumpkinseed is moderately distributed — 145 lakes in Michigan. Some counties have it, others do not, so checking the per-lake pages matters.

Panfish species like Pumpkinseed tolerate a wide range of water quality, so their presence in a lake says less about the lake than the absence of a game-fish would. Cross-reference the Pumpkinseed lake list below against the LakeGrade rubric: lakes with both an A or B grade and Pumpkinseed documented are the best places to start for recreational targeting.

145

Total Lakes

145

Michigan lakes →

Avg. Grade

46 ft

Avg. Depth

Water Quality of Pumpkinseed Lakes

464

33%

373

27%

282

20%

198

14%

Best Pumpkinseed Lakes by Water Quality

Top 50 lakes with pumpkinseed ranked by overall water quality grade.

Rank	Lake	County	State	Grade	Depth	Species
1	East Fox Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	65 ft	15
2	North Long Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	97 ft	18
3	Big Sugar Bush Lake	Becker	MN	A	42 ft	13
4	Horseshoe Lake	Cass	MN	A	51 ft	12
5	Long Lake	Cass	MN	A	115 ft	14
6	Long Lake	Clearwater	MN	A	80 ft	15
7	Long Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	87 ft	11
8	Long Lake	Becker	MN	A	61 ft	16
9	Long Lake	Cass	MN	A	37 ft	12
10	Long Lake	Itasca	MN	A	72 ft	10
11	Long Lake	Itasca	MN	A	85 ft	12
12	Dead Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	34 ft	9
13	Otter Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	64 ft	7
14	Ossawinnamakee Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	63 ft	18
15	Clear Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	63 ft	15
16	Clear Lake	Aitkin	MN	A	24 ft	14
17	Clear Lake	Itasca	MN	A	30 ft	9
18	West Fox Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	55 ft	15
19	Spearhead Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	81 ft	17
20	Ida Lake	Douglas	MN	A	106 ft	19
21	Star Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	94 ft	17
22	Upper Maple Lake	Wright	MN	A	76 ft	15
23	Fish Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	69 ft	17
24	Birch Lake	Wright	MN	A	52 ft	9
25	Birch Lake	Unknown	MN	A	34 ft	10
26	Girl Lake	Cass	MN	A	81 ft	18
27	Little Toad Lake	Becker	MN	A	65 ft	15
28	Charlotte Lake	Wright	MN	A	46 ft	10
29	Bass Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	47 ft	14
30	Bass Lake	Cass	MN	A	55 ft	12
31	Crooked Lake	Stearns	MN	A	35 ft	10
32	Crooked Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	54 ft	16
33	Cedar Lake	Morrison	MN	A	88 ft	14
34	Pelican Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	55 ft	20
35	Square Lake	Washington	MN	A	68 ft	9
36	Lower Bottle Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	110 ft	13
37	Big Pine Lake	Aitkin	MN	A	78 ft	15
38	Strawberry Lake	Becker	MN	A	40 ft	16
39	Alexander Lake	Morrison	MN	A	64 ft	19
40	Mcavity Lake	Itasca	MN	A	29 ft	9
41	Gull Lake	Cass	MN	A	80 ft	22
42	Deep Portage Lake	Cass	MN	A	105 ft	9
43	Little Wabana Lake	Itasca	MN	A	57 ft	6
44	Lower Hay Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	100 ft	21
45	Latoka Lake	Douglas	MN	A	108 ft	16
46	Pike Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	60 ft	9
47	Unnamed Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	95 ft	17
48	Maple Lake	Itasca	MN	A	39 ft	13
49	Shallow Lake	Itasca	MN	A	85 ft	12
50	Trout Lake	Itasca	MN	A	135 ft	15

Showing top 50 of 1,391 lakes with pumpkinseed.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many lakes have pumpkinseed?

Pumpkinseed are found in 145 graded lakes: 145 in Michigan. The average water quality grade of lakes with pumpkinseed is B (Good).

What are the best lakes for pumpkinseed?

The best pumpkinseed lakes by water quality are East Fox Lake, North Long Lake, Big Sugar Bush Lake, Horseshoe Lake, Long Lake. These lakes have the highest water quality grades among all lakes where pumpkinseed have been documented by state DNR surveys.

What other fish are found with pumpkinseed?

Pumpkinseed are most commonly found alongside pumpkinseed, northern pike, bluegill, black crappie, yellow perch. These species share similar habitat preferences in the region's lakes.

Other Fish Species in Pumpkinseed Lakes

Northern pike Lakes

Found together in 1,207 lakes · 99 total

Bluegill Lakes

Found together in 1,204 lakes · 240 total

Black Crappie Lakes

Found together in 1,174 lakes · 41 total

Yellow Perch Lakes

Found together in 1,158 lakes · 113 total

Largemouth bass Lakes

Found together in 1,147 lakes · 172 total

hybrid sunfish Lakes

Found together in 1,020 lakes · 1,124 total

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.