Yellow Perch Lakes in Michigan

Found in 197 Michigan lakes · 1,434 in Minnesota

Yellow Perch is panfish — the family of smaller, abundant species that anchor kid-friendly fishing and ice-fishing in Michigan. Documented in 1,631 lakes across our dataset. Yellow Perch is widely distributed: 1,434 lakes in Minnesota and 197 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 the LakeGrade rubric: lakes with both an A or B grade and Yellow Perch documented are the best places to start for recreational targeting.

197

Michigan Lakes

Avg. Grade

Grade A Lakes

Counties

Yellow Perch Lakes Map

Every Michigan lake with documented yellow perch, colored by water-quality grade.

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Best Yellow Perch Lakes in Michigan

Rank	Lake	County	Grade	Clarity	Depth
1	Big Star Lake Central Basin; Lake Township	Lake	A	8 ft	-
2	Silver Lake	Washtenaw	A	11.5 ft	-
3	Ore Lake West Basin; Hamburg Township	Livingston	A	10 ft	-
4	Rennie Lake; Central Basin; East Bay Township	Grand Traverse	A	13 ft	-
5	Long Lake South Central Basin	Cass	A	10.5 ft	-
6	Farewell Lake West Basin; Hanover Township	Jackson	A	11.8 ft	-
7	Squaw Lake Central Basin; Blue Lake Township	Kalkaska	A	16 ft	-
8	Kimball Lake Central Basin; Garfield Township	Newaygo	A	4.5 ft	-
9	Gun Lake Central Basin; Freesoil Township	Mason	A	14 ft	-
10	Upper Herring Lake; Central Basin; Blaine Township	Benzie	A	8 ft	-
11	Whitefish Lake Southeast Basin; Pierson Township	Montcalm	A	16 ft	-
12	Murray Lake East Basin; Grattan Township	Kent	A	7.2 ft	-
13	Scram Lake East Basin; Oakfield Township	Kent	A	11.5 ft	-
14	Big Twin Lake Southeast Basin; Blue Lake Township	Kalkaska	A	23 ft	-
15	Round Lake	Benzie	A	15 ft	-
16	Crystal Lake	Hillsdale	A	9.5 ft	-
17	Bear Lake Southeast Basin	Kalkaska	A	36.5 ft	-
18	Cub Lake Central Basin	Kalkaska	A	19 ft	-
19	Otter Lake	Benzie	A	12 ft	-
20	Duck Lake North Basin; Watersmeet Township	Gogebic	A	9.5 ft	-
21	Higgins Lake East Basin	Roscommon	A	35 ft	-
22	North Crooked Lake South Central Basin; Blue Lake Township	Kalkaska	A	13.5 ft	-
23	Higgins Lake Northwest Basin	Roscommon	A	34.5 ft	-
24	Emerald Lake	Kent	A	12 ft	-
25	Eagle Lake Central Basin; Blue Lake Township	Kalkaska	A	17 ft	-
26	Little Platte Lake North Basin	Benzie	A	6.5 ft	-
27	Fishers Lake North Central Basin; Park Township	St. Joseph	A	10.5 ft	-
28	Beaver Lake Central Basin; Ossineke Township	Alpena	A	16 ft	-
29	Eagle Lake East Basin; Paw Paw Township	Van Buren	A	17 ft	-
30	Devils Lake Central Basin North	Lenawee	A	10.8 ft	-
31	Twin Lakes	Oakland	A	5 ft	-
32	Wakeley Lake; Central Basin; Grayling Township	Crawford	A	6.5 ft	-
33	Lower Herring Lake East Basin; Blaire Township	Benzie	A	16 ft	-
34	Twin Lakes; Grayling Twp	Crawford	A	19 ft	-
35	Round Lake Central Basin	Lenawee	A	12 ft	-
36	Loon Lake; Lake Twp	Benzie	A	12 ft	-
37	Houghton Lake	Roscommon	A	5 ft	-
38	Lime Lake	Benzie	A	17.5 ft	-
39	Long Lake	Gogebic	A	12 ft	-
40	Shingle Lake South Basin; Lincoln Township	Clare	A	-	-
41	Lake George; Central Deep Basin; Lincoln Township	Clare	A	-	-
42	Big Blue Lake North Basin; Blue Lake Township	Kalkaska	A	-	-
43	Loon Lake	Benzie	B	12.1 ft	-
44	Lake Richie	Keweenaw	B	8.3 ft	-
45	Bass Lake	Leelanau	B	11.2 ft	-
46	Portage Lake South Basin; Dexter Township	Washtenaw	B	13 ft	-
47	Beaver Lake	Alger	B	14.7 ft	-
48	Beaver Lake	Keweenaw	B	8 ft	-
49	Lake Harvey	Keweenaw	B	10.5 ft	-
50	Feldtmann Lake	Keweenaw	B	7.3 ft	-

Showing top 50 of 197 lakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Michigan lakes have yellow perch?

Yellow Perch are found in 197 lakes in Michigan. The average water quality grade of these lakes is A (Excellent).

What are the best yellow perch lakes in Michigan?

The best yellow perch lakes in Michigan by water quality are Big Star Lake Central Basin; Lake Township, Silver Lake, Ore Lake West Basin; Hamburg Township, Rennie Lake; Central Basin; East Bay Township, Long Lake South Central Basin.

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