What is the best fishing lake near Traverse City?

Long Lake North Central Basin; Long Lake Township in Grand Traverse County is the top-ranked fishing lake near Traverse City, with a water quality grade of A (7.2 miles away).

How many lakes are near Traverse City for fishing?

30 lakes within driving distance of Traverse City match the fishing filters used on this page.

Best Lakes for Fishing Near Traverse City

Michigan

30 fishing lakes within driving distance of Traverse City, Michigan, ranked by water quality and fishing-specific filters. Filtered for documented fish species (3+) and public access. Ranked by water quality and species diversity.

Traverse City sits in a lake-rich part of the upper Midwest: 30 graded lakes within reach, average grade A. Long Lake North Central Basin; Long Lake Township (A) leads the cluster.

Filtered for fishing, the nearby-lake list narrows further. fishing-specific signals — fish species, public access, depth profile, motor-boat congestion — interact with the LakeGrade rubric in different ways depending on the use case.

#	Lake	County	Grade	Distance	Clarity	Depth
1	Long Lake North Central Basin; Long Lake Township	Grand Traverse	A	7.2 mi	23.8 ft	-
2	Rennie Lake; Central Basin; East Bay Township	Grand Traverse	A	10 mi	13 ft	-
3	Upper Woodcock Lake; Almira Twp	Benzie	A	13.5 mi	11 ft	-
4	Lower Woodcock Lake; Almira Twp	Benzie	A	13.6 mi	12.3 ft	-
5	Lime Lake	Benzie	A	15.3 mi	17.5 ft	-
6	Otter Lake	Benzie	A	21.7 mi	12 ft	-
7	Little Platte Lake North Basin	Benzie	A	22 mi	6.5 ft	-
8	Loon Lake; Lake Twp	Benzie	A	25.3 mi	12 ft	-
9	Round Lake	Benzie	A	28.1 mi	15 ft	-
10	Upper Herring Lake; Central Basin; Blaine Township	Benzie	A	30.9 mi	8 ft	-
11	Lower Herring Lake East Basin; Blaire Township	Benzie	A	32.1 mi	16 ft	-
12	Big Twin Lake Southeast Basin; Blue Lake Township	Kalkaska	A	32.5 mi	23 ft	-
13	Cub Lake Central Basin	Kalkaska	A	32.9 mi	19 ft	-
14	Eagle Lake Central Basin; Blue Lake Township	Kalkaska	A	33.4 mi	17 ft	-
15	Bear Lake Southeast Basin	Kalkaska	A	33.5 mi	36.5 ft	-
16	Squaw Lake Central Basin; Blue Lake Township	Kalkaska	A	34.5 mi	16 ft	-
17	North Crooked Lake South Central Basin; Blue Lake Township	Kalkaska	A	35.2 mi	13.5 ft	-
18	Big Blue Lake North Basin; Blue Lake Township	Kalkaska	A	35.8 mi	-	-
19	Higgins Lake Northwest Basin	Roscommon	A	46.2 mi	34.5 ft	-
20	Houghton Lake	Roscommon	A	49.2 mi	5 ft	-
21	Manistee Lake South	Manistee	A	49.8 mi	-	-
22	Bass Lake	Leelanau	B	16.9 mi	11.2 ft	-
23	Loon Lake	Benzie	B	25.3 mi	12.1 ft	-
24	Papoose Lake Central Basin; Blue Lake Township	Kalkaska	B	33.8 mi	21 ft	-
25	Lake Charlevoix	Charlevoix	C	41.4 mi	-	-
26	Long Lake	Grand Traverse	NR	7.1 mi	24 ft	-
27	Rennie Lake	Grand Traverse	NR	10 mi	13 ft	-
28	Island Lake	Grand Traverse	NR	10.2 mi	15 ft	-
29	Lake Ann	Benzie	NR	11.7 mi	13.8 ft	-
30	Sanford Lake	Benzie	NR	12.4 mi	14.5 ft	-

Other activities near Traverse City

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Where to stay near Traverse City

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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.