Pumpkinseed Lakes in Michigan

Found in 145 Michigan lakes

Pumpkinseed is panfish — the family of smaller, abundant species that anchor kid-friendly fishing and ice-fishing in Michigan. Documented in 145 lakes across our dataset. 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

Michigan Lakes

Avg. Grade

Grade A Lakes

Counties

Best Pumpkinseed Lakes in Michigan

Rank	Lake	County	Grade	Clarity	Depth
1	Sanford Lake	Benzie	A	15.8 ft	-
2	Corey Lake	St. Joseph	A	16 ft	-
3	Corey Lake Southeastern Basin; Fabius Township	St. Joseph	A	16 ft	-
4	Twin Lake	Kalkaska	A	23 ft	-
5	Whitefish Lake Southeast Basin; Pierson Township	Montcalm	A	16 ft	-
6	Whitefish Lake	Montcalm	A	16.8 ft	-
7	Eagle Lake	Kalkaska	A	17 ft	-
8	Island Lake	Grand Traverse	A	15 ft	-
9	Arbutus Lake South Central Basin	Grand Traverse	A	19 ft	-
10	Cub Lake Central Basin	Kalkaska	A	19 ft	-
11	Pickerel Lake	Kalkaska	A	15 ft	-
12	Round Lake	Benzie	A	15 ft	-
13	Lake Margrethe	Crawford	A	16 ft	-
14	Higgins Lake East Basin	Roscommon	A	35 ft	-
15	Long Lake North Central Basin; Long Lake Township	Grand Traverse	A	23.8 ft	-
16	Eagle Lake Central Basin; Blue Lake Township	Kalkaska	A	17 ft	-
17	Long Lake	Grand Traverse	A	24 ft	-
18	Beaver Lake Central Basin; Ossineke Township	Alpena	A	16 ft	-
19	Eagle Lake East Basin; Paw Paw Township	Van Buren	A	17 ft	-
20	Cub Lake	Kalkaska	A	19.5 ft	-
21	Opal Lake	Otsego	A	18.5 ft	-
22	Eagle Lake	Van Buren	A	15 ft	-
23	Round Lake	Benzie	A	15 ft	-
24	Diamond Lake	Osceola	A	16 ft	-
25	Arbutus Lake Central Basin	Grand Traverse	A	17.3 ft	-
26	Monocle Lake	Chippewa	A	16 ft	-
27	Lower Herring Lake East Basin; Blaire Township	Benzie	A	16 ft	-
28	Burt Lake	Cheboygan	A	15.5 ft	-
29	Twin Lakes; Grayling Twp	Crawford	A	19 ft	-
30	Silver Lake	Cheboygan	A	32 ft	-
31	Lake Geneserath	Charlevoix	A	16.5 ft	-
32	Kneff Lakes	Crawford	A	19 ft	-
33	Long Lake	Cheboygan	A	18 ft	-
34	Douglas Lake	Otsego	A	16.5 ft	-
35	Lime Lake	Benzie	A	17.5 ft	-
36	Susan Lake	Charlevoix	A	-	-
37	Walloon Lake	Emmet	A	-	-
38	Crooked Lake	Emmet	A	-	-
39	Spring Lake	Emmet	A	-	-
40	Elk Lake	Antrim	A	-	-
41	Big Blue Lake North Basin; Blue Lake Township	Kalkaska	A	-	-
42	Loon Lake	Benzie	A	12.1 ft	-
43	Silver Lake	Washtenaw	A	11.5 ft	-
44	Clear Lake East Basin; Waterloo Township	Jackson	A	10 ft	-
45	Duck Lake; Center of Deepest Basin; Fruitland Township	Muskegon	A	10.5 ft	-
46	Sand Lake Central Basin; Cambridge Township	Lenawee	A	13.5 ft	-
47	Round Lake Central Basin	Lenawee	A	12 ft	-
48	Loon Lake; Lake Twp	Benzie	A	12 ft	-
49	Au Sable Lake East Central Basin,Goodar Township	Ogemaw	A	10.5 ft	-
50	Chippewa Lake	Mecosta	B	11.5 ft	-

Showing top 50 of 145 lakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Michigan lakes have pumpkinseed?

Pumpkinseed are found in 145 lakes in Michigan. The average water quality grade of these lakes is B (Good).

What are the best pumpkinseed lakes in Michigan?

The best pumpkinseed lakes in Michigan by water quality are Sanford Lake, Corey Lake, Corey Lake Southeastern Basin; Fabius Township, Twin Lake, Whitefish Lake Southeast Basin; Pierson Township.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.