Skip to main content
LakeQuality

Michigan State Record Bowfin: 14 lb

The Michigan state record bowfin weighed 14 lb and measured 35 inches. It was caught in 1981 from Crooked Lake in Livingston County, and the Michigan DNR still recognizes it as the state mark 45 years later.

Weight
14 lb
Length
35 in
Year set
1981
45 years standing
Water
Crooked Lake
Livingston County

Where the record came from

The record came from Crooked Lake in Livingston County. We don't carry a water-quality grade for it: our index covers standing lakes with enough EPA Water Quality Portal samples to score, which leaves out rivers and tributaries, Great Lakes water, and smaller ponds that are rarely sampled. Browse the Michigan lakes we do grade instead.

How it ranks inside Michigan

12 of Michigan's 20 standing records are heavier than the 14 lb bowfin — unsurprising, since record weight tracks species size more than anything about the water. 11 Michigan records have stood longer, the bowfin mark dating to 1981.

Michigan lakes that hold bowfin

18 Michigan lakes in our index are documented to hold bowfin, ranked here by water-quality grade.

APickerel Lake — Kalkaska CountyADiamond Lake — Osceola CountyABurt Lake — Cheboygan CountyABass Lake — Leelanau CountyAClear Lake East Basin; Waterloo Township — Jackson CountyBBass Lake — Montcalm CountyBPortage Lake South Basin; Dexter Township — Washtenaw CountyBMurray Lake East Basin; Grattan Township — Kent County

All Michigan bowfin lakes →

Other Michigan records

Walleye 17 lb 3 ozSauger 6 lb 9 ozNorthern Pike 39 lbMuskellunge 58 lbLargemouth Bass 11 lb 15 ozSmallmouth Bass 9 lb 15 ozLake Trout 61 lb 8 ozBrown Trout 41 lb 7 ozRainbow Trout 26 lb 8 ozBrook Trout 9 lb 8 ozChinook Salmon 47 lb 14 ozCoho Salmon 30 lb 9 ozChannel Catfish 40 lbFlathead Catfish 52 lbBlack Crappie 4 lb 2 ozBluegill 2 lb 12 ozYellow Perch 3 lb 12 ozLake Sturgeon 193 lbCommon Carp 61 lb 8 oz

All 20 Michigan state records in one table →

Record compiled from the official Michigan DNR angling records. Updated 2026. New records are certified year-round — check the agency page before treating any figure here as the current mark. LakeQuality is independent and not affiliated with the Michigan DNR.