Michigan Lake Depths

Field guide

Fish of Michigan lakes

The 20 fish recorded in the most Michigan lakes on this site. Each page maps every lake where the fish is recorded, shows when big ones are registered, how to tell it from its look-alikes, and how it lives. Lake counts come from the same records as the lake pages.

BluegillLepomis macrochirus777 lakesLargemouth bassMicropterus nigricans560 lakesCrappiePomoxis nigromaculatus (black) · Pomoxis annularis (white)551 lakesPumpkinseedLepomis gibbosus431 lakesNorthern pikeEsox lucius381 lakesRock bassAmbloplites rupestris304 lakesYellow perchPerca flavescens298 lakesSmallmouth bassMicropterus dolomieu291 lakesBullheadsAmeiurus nebulosus (brown) · A. natalis (yellow) · A. melas (black)288 lakesWalleyeSander vitreus275 lakesBowfinAmia ocellicauda185 lakesRedear sunfishLepomis microlophus150 lakesChannel catfishIctalurus punctatus146 lakesLongnose garLepisosteus osseus108 lakesRainbow troutOncorhynchus mykiss97 lakesGreen sunfishLepomis cyanellus96 lakesBrook troutSalvelinus fontinalis88 lakesMuskellungeEsox masquinongy74 lakesBrown troutSalmo trutta57 lakesLake troutSalvelinus namaycush40 lakes

About this guide

Illustrations are AI-generated, not photographs, and not to scale. A lake that isn’t listed for a fish may still have it: records exist only where someone caught, netted or stocked it. 1,288 lakes on this site have at least one fish record. Catch figures come from the Michigan DNR Master Angler program and describe big fish that anglers chose to register, not catch rates. Looking for invasive species? See the invasive species guide.