Yellow Perch Lakes in Michigan, 181 Lakes

Yellow Perch is panfish — the family of smaller, abundant species that anchor kid-friendly fishing and ice-fishing in Michigan. Documented in 1,577 lakes across our dataset. Yellow Perch is widely distributed: 1,396 lakes in Minnesota and 181 in Michigan. That breadth means anglers across most of the coverage area can find a documented Yellow Perch lake within a reasonable drive.

Panfish species like Yellow Perch 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 Yellow Perch lake list below against each lake's clarity, phosphorus and algae readings: lakes with low nutrient readings and Yellow Perch documented are the best places to start for recreational targeting.

181

Michigan Lakes

Counties

Yellow Perch Lakes Map

Every Michigan lake with documented yellow perch.

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Best Yellow Perch Lakes in Michigan

Rank	Lake	County	Clarity	Depth
1	Ore Lake	Livingston	9 ft	81 ft
2	Eagle Lake	Kalkaska	18 ft	20 ft
3	Rennie Lake	Grand Traverse	14 ft	27 ft
4	Emerald Lake	Kent	11.5 ft	-
5	Sawyer Lake	Dickinson	7 ft	20 ft
6	Hanbury Lake	Dickinson	14 ft	-
7	Lake George	Clare	9.5 ft	25 ft
8	Duck Lake	Muskegon	11 ft	-
9	Big Blue Lake	Kalkaska	24 ft	-
10	Muskellunge Lake	Kent	13.5 ft	-
11	Murray Lake	Kent	9 ft	-
12	Big Star Lake	Lake	9 ft	-
13	Crystal Lake	Washtenaw	12.5 ft	-
14	Round Lake	Lenawee	12.3 ft	67 ft
15	Big Twin Lake	Kalkaska	23 ft	-
16	Devils Lake	Lenawee	11 ft	-
17	Sylvan Lake	Oakland	10.3 ft	-
18	Whitefish Lake	Montcalm	13.5 ft	-
19	Gun Lake	Mason	14 ft	22 ft
20	Round Lake	Benzie	15 ft	-
21	Crystal Lake	Hillsdale	9.5 ft	-
22	Otter Lake	Benzie	12 ft	-
23	Little Platte Lake	Benzie	6.5 ft	8 ft
24	Twin Lakes	Oakland	5 ft	-
25	Twin Lakes	Crawford	19 ft	-
26	Loon Lake	Benzie	12 ft	-
27	Au Sable Lake	Ogemaw	10.5 ft	52 ft
28	Houghton Lake	Roscommon	5 ft	21 ft
29	Lime Lake	Benzie	17.5 ft	25 ft
30	Crooked Lake	Emmet	-	50 ft
31	Spring Lake	Emmet	-	-
32	Cranberry Lake	Oakland	8.5 ft	25 ft
33	Lake Ahmik	Keweenaw	6.6 ft	-
34	Tamarack Lake	Livingston	7 ft	34 ft
35	Lake Richie	Keweenaw	9.2 ft	-
36	Bass Lake	Leelanau	11.2 ft	-
37	Lake Harvey	Keweenaw	10.4 ft	-
38	Beaver Lake	Keweenaw	8.9 ft	-
39	Beaver Lake	Alger	14.5 ft	39 ft
40	Feldtmann Lake	Keweenaw	7.5 ft	-
41	Wolf Lake	Lake	10.5 ft	-
42	Lake George	Keweenaw	8 ft	-
43	Papoose Lake	Kalkaska	22 ft	17 ft
44	Walloon Lake	Emmet	-	-
45	Upper Hamlin Lake	Mason	6 ft	-
46	Lower Hamlin Lake	Mason	11.5 ft	-
47	North Pond	Chippewa	1.3 ft	-
48	Round Lake	Shiawassee	6 ft	-
49	Sanford Lake	Benzie	17 ft	-
50	Lower Herring Lake	Benzie	13 ft	50 ft

Showing top 50 of 181 lakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Michigan lakes have yellow perch?

Yellow Perch are found in 181 lakes in Michigan.

What are the best yellow perch lakes in Michigan?

The best yellow perch lakes in Michigan by water quality are Ore Lake, Eagle Lake, Rennie Lake, Emerald Lake, Sawyer Lake.

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