What is the best fishing lake near Traverse City?

Rennie Lake in Grand Traverse County is the top-ranked fishing lake near Traverse City on measured water quality (10 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, MI

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 measured lakes within reach. Rennie Lake carries the lowest nutrient and algae readings of 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 water-quality readings in different ways depending on the use case.

#	Lake	County	Distance	Clarity	Depth
1	Rennie Lake	Grand Traverse	10 mi	14 ft	27 ft
2	Upper Woodcock Lake	Benzie	13.5 mi	11 ft	45 ft
3	Lower Woodcock Lake	Benzie	13.6 mi	12.3 ft	-
4	Lime Lake	Benzie	15.3 mi	17.5 ft	25 ft
5	Otter Lake	Benzie	21.7 mi	12 ft	-
6	Little Platte Lake	Benzie	22 mi	6.5 ft	8 ft
7	Loon Lake	Benzie	25.3 mi	12 ft	-
8	Round Lake	Benzie	28.1 mi	15 ft	-
9	Big Twin Lake	Kalkaska	32.5 mi	23 ft	-
10	Eagle Lake	Kalkaska	33.4 mi	18 ft	20 ft
11	Big Blue Lake	Kalkaska	35.8 mi	24 ft	-
12	Houghton Lake	Roscommon	49.2 mi	5 ft	21 ft
13	Manistee Lake South	Manistee	49.8 mi	-	-
14	Bass Lake	Leelanau	16.9 mi	11.2 ft	-
15	Papoose Lake	Kalkaska	33.8 mi	22 ft	17 ft
16	Walloon Lake	Emmet	47.9 mi	-	-
17	Lake Charlevoix	Charlevoix	41.4 mi	-	122 ft
18	Long Lake	Grand Traverse	7.1 mi	24.3 ft	88 ft
19	Island Lake	Grand Traverse	10.2 mi	17 ft	-
20	Lake Ann	Benzie	11.7 mi	14.5 ft	75 ft
21	Duck Lake	Grand Traverse	11.8 mi	15 ft	98 ft
22	Sanford Lake	Benzie	12.4 mi	17 ft	-
23	Green Lake	Grand Traverse	13.1 mi	12.8 ft	102 ft
24	Upper Woodcock Lake	Benzie	13.5 mi	11 ft	45 ft
25	Lower Woodcock Lake	Benzie	13.6 mi	12.3 ft	-
26	Elk Lake	Antrim	13.8 mi	14.5 ft	150 ft
27	Torch Lake	Antrim	20.7 mi	30 ft	250 ft
28	Lake Bellaire	Antrim	23.5 mi	12.5 ft	95 ft
29	Long Lake	Benzie	27.3 mi	9 ft	-
30	Crystal Lake	Benzie	28 mi	32 ft	175 ft

Other activities near Traverse City

Swimming near Traverse City →Kayaking near Traverse City →Boating near Traverse City →All lakes near Traverse City →

Where to stay near Traverse City

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Traverse City — book a place close to the best-rated lakes in the area.

Top-rated places to stay near Traverse City

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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.