Yellow perch Lakes in Michigan

Found in 203 Michigan lakes

Yellow perch is a rough-fish species — typically common in productive, nutrient-rich lakes, sometimes treated as a management nuisance by anglers targeting game-fish. 203 lakes carry documentation. Yellow perch is moderately distributed — 203 lakes in Michigan. Some counties have it, others do not, so checking the per-lake pages matters.

Rough-fish-dominant lakes are worth checking the grade on: a rough-fish-heavy fishery often reflects an underlying nutrient-loading problem in the watershed. Cross-reference the Yellow perch lake list below against the LakeGrade rubric: lakes with both an A or B grade and Yellow perch documented are the best places to start for recreational targeting.

203

Michigan Lakes

Avg. Grade

Grade A Lakes

Counties

Best Yellow perch Lakes in Michigan

Rank	Lake	County	Grade	Clarity	Depth
1	Sanford Lake	Benzie	A	15.8 ft	-
2	Squaw Lake	Kalkaska	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	Big Twin Lake Southeast Basin; Blue Lake Township	Kalkaska	A	23 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	Bear Lake Southeast Basin	Kalkaska	A	36.5 ft	-
14	Lake Margrethe	Crawford	A	16 ft	-
15	Higgins Lake East Basin	Roscommon	A	35 ft	-
16	Avery Lake	Montmorency	A	27 ft	-
17	Higgins Lake Northwest Basin	Roscommon	A	34.5 ft	-
18	Eagle Lake Central Basin; Blue Lake Township	Kalkaska	A	17 ft	-
19	Indian Lake Northeast Basin; Blue Lake Township	Kalkaska	A	15.5 ft	-
20	Crystal Lake	Benzie	A	32 ft	-
21	Long Lake	Grand Traverse	A	24 ft	-
22	Beaver Lake Central Basin; Ossineke Township	Alpena	A	16 ft	-
23	Eagle Lake East Basin; Paw Paw Township	Van Buren	A	17 ft	-
24	Cub Lake	Kalkaska	A	19.5 ft	-
25	Opal Lake	Otsego	A	18.5 ft	-
26	Eagle Lake	Van Buren	A	15 ft	-
27	Bear Lake	Kalkaska	A	33 ft	-
28	Round Lake	Benzie	A	15 ft	-
29	Diamond Lake	Osceola	A	16 ft	-
30	Monocle Lake	Chippewa	A	16 ft	-
31	Shag Lake	Marquette	A	15.3 ft	-
32	Lower Herring Lake East Basin; Blaire Township	Benzie	A	16 ft	-
33	Burt Lake	Cheboygan	A	15.5 ft	-
34	Twin Lakes; Grayling Twp	Crawford	A	19 ft	-
35	Papoose Lake Central Basin; Blue Lake Township	Kalkaska	A	21 ft	-
36	Papoose Lake	Kalkaska	A	20 ft	-
37	Silver Lake	Cheboygan	A	32 ft	-
38	Lake Geneserath	Charlevoix	A	16.5 ft	-
39	Long Lake	Cheboygan	A	18 ft	-
40	Big Bear Lake	Otsego	A	15 ft	-
41	Douglas Lake	Otsego	A	16.5 ft	-
42	Starvation Lake North Basin; Blue Lake Township	Kalkaska	A	22.3 ft	-
43	Lime Lake	Benzie	A	17.5 ft	-
44	Bass Lake Northeast Basin	Kalkaska	A	18.5 ft	-
45	Susan Lake	Charlevoix	A	-	-
46	Walloon Lake	Emmet	A	-	-
47	Crooked Lake	Emmet	A	-	-
48	Spring Lake	Emmet	A	-	-
49	Elk Lake	Antrim	A	-	-
50	Big Blue Lake North Basin; Blue Lake Township	Kalkaska	A	-	-

Showing top 50 of 203 lakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Michigan lakes have yellow perch?

Yellow perch are found in 203 lakes in Michigan. The average water quality grade of these lakes is B (Good).

What are the best yellow perch lakes in Michigan?

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

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.