Smallmouth Bass Lakes in Michigan, 101 Lakes

Smallmouth Bass is a primary Michigan sport-fishing target. 871 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 404 lakes in Minnesota, 366 in Wisconsin, and 101 in Michigan carrying a documented record, Smallmouth 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 Smallmouth 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.

101

Michigan Lakes

Counties

Smallmouth Bass Lakes Map

Every Michigan lake with documented smallmouth bass.

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Best Smallmouth Bass Lakes in Michigan

Rank	Lake	County	Clarity	Depth
1	Louis Lake	Dickinson	13.5 ft	-
2	Sawyer Lake	Dickinson	7 ft	20 ft
3	Lake George	Clare	9.5 ft	25 ft
4	Derby Lake	Montcalm	14 ft	87 ft
5	Duck Lake	Muskegon	11 ft	-
6	Big Blue Lake	Kalkaska	24 ft	-
7	Big Star Lake	Lake	9 ft	-
8	Crystal Lake	Washtenaw	12.5 ft	-
9	Crystal Lake	Oceana	13.5 ft	34 ft
10	Round Lake	Lenawee	12.3 ft	67 ft
11	Big Twin Lake	Kalkaska	23 ft	-
12	Devils Lake	Lenawee	11 ft	-
13	Sylvan Lake	Oakland	10.3 ft	-
14	Round Lake	Benzie	15 ft	-
15	Crystal Lake	Hillsdale	9.5 ft	-
16	Otter Lake	Benzie	12 ft	-
17	Little Platte Lake	Benzie	6.5 ft	8 ft
18	Crooked Lake	Emmet	-	50 ft
19	Tamarack Lake	Livingston	7 ft	34 ft
20	Bass Lake	Leelanau	11.2 ft	-
21	Lake George	Keweenaw	8 ft	-
22	Papoose Lake	Kalkaska	22 ft	17 ft
23	Walloon Lake	Emmet	-	-
24	Lower Hamlin Lake	Mason	11.5 ft	-
25	Round Lake	Shiawassee	6 ft	-
26	Sanford Lake	Benzie	17 ft	-
27	Lower Herring Lake	Benzie	13 ft	50 ft
28	Silver Lake	Cheboygan	12.5 ft	-
29	Lake Bellaire	Antrim	12.5 ft	95 ft
30	Crooked Lake	Barry	12 ft	-
31	Long Lake	Gogebic	12 ft	60 ft
32	Chippewa Lake	Mecosta	11 ft	40 ft
33	Opal Lake	Otsego	15.5 ft	40 ft
34	Silver Lake	Van Buren	9.5 ft	-
35	East Twin Lake	Montmorency	8 ft	25 ft
36	Brown Lake	Jackson	7.5 ft	-
37	Bear Lake	Kalkaska	30 ft	50 ft
38	North Crooked Lake	Kalkaska	14 ft	-
39	Clark Lake	Jackson	10 ft	50 ft
40	Lake Fenton	Genesee	17.5 ft	90 ft
41	Starvation Lake	Kalkaska	21.5 ft	47 ft
42	Sanford Lake	Midland	5 ft	20 ft
43	Eagle Lake	Cass	7 ft	35 ft
44	Wall Lake	Barry	10 ft	36 ft
45	Muskellunge Lake	Montcalm	11 ft	37 ft
46	Cedar Lake	Alcona	9 ft	10 ft
47	Duck Lake	Gogebic	9 ft	25 ft
48	Bear Lake	Manistee	11 ft	6 ft
49	Lake Margrethe	Crawford	16 ft	65 ft
50	White Lake	Muskegon	6.8 ft	-

Showing top 50 of 101 lakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Michigan lakes have smallmouth bass?

Smallmouth Bass are found in 101 lakes in Michigan.

What are the best smallmouth bass lakes in Michigan?

The best smallmouth bass lakes in Michigan by water quality are Louis Lake, Sawyer Lake, Lake George, Derby Lake, Duck Lake.

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