Michigan Lake Depths

Game fish · sunfish family

Smallmouth bass

Micropterus dolomieu · also called bronzeback

Recorded in 291 Michigan lakes and bays
Illustration of a smallmouth bass in side view
AI-generated illustration, not a photograph and not to scale.
Typical catch
8–15 in and under 3 lb; can reach 5–6 lb
Lives
Occasionally 10–12 years
Spawns
Spring, once water reaches 60°F
Eats
Tiny crustaceans when young, then insects and fish
Michigan record
10 lb, 23.1 in — Indian River, Cheboygan County, 2016

Where smallmouth bass have been recorded

291 of the 1,288 Michigan lakes on this site with fish records list smallmouth bass, across 70 counties, including 11 Great Lakes bays. Tap a dot to open that lake’s depth map.

Saginaw Bay, Bay CountyWhitefish Bay, Chippewa CountyLake St. Clair, St. Clair CountyGrand Traverse Bay, Grand Traverse CountyBig Bay de Noc, Delta CountyThunder Bay, Alpena CountyLittle Bay de Noc, Delta CountyWildfowl Bay, Huron CountyLittle Traverse Bay, Emmet CountyHoughton Lake, Roscommon CountyTorch Lake, Antrim CountyBurt Lake, Cheboygan CountyLake Charlevoix, Charlevoix CountyMullett Lake, Cheboygan CountyBrest Bay, Monroe CountyLake Gogebic, Ontonagon CountyManistique Lake, Mackinac CountyBlack Lake, Cheboygan CountyHiggins Lake, Roscommon CountyCrystal Lake, Benzie CountyFletcher Pond, Alpena CountyHubbard Lake, Alcona CountyIndian Lake, Schoolcraft CountyTawas Bay, Iosco CountyElk Lake, Antrim CountyGrand Lake, Presque Isle CountyLake Leelanau, Leelanau CountyLong Lake, Presque Isle CountyGlen Lake, Leelanau CountyHamlin Lake, Mason CountyWalloon Lake, Charlevoix CountyLake Michigamme, Marquette CountyBrevoort Lake, Mackinac CountyMuskegon Lake, Muskegon CountySouth Manistique Lake, Mackinac CountyDouglas Lake, Cheboygan CountyLong Lake, Grand Traverse CountyLake Skegemog, Kalkaska CountyGun Lake, Barry CountyPlatte Lake, Benzie CountyLake Mitchell, Wexford CountyCrooked Lake, Emmet CountyDuck Lake, Grand Traverse CountyPortage Lake, Manistee CountyLake Missaukee, Missaukee CountyGull Lake, Kalamazoo CountyGreen Lake, Grand Traverse CountyOtsego Lake, Otsego CountyMilakokia Lake, Mackinac CountyBear Lake, Manistee CountyLake Margrethe, Crawford CountyLake Independence, Marquette CountyLake Paradise, Emmet CountyLake Bellaire, Antrim CountyNorth Manistique Lake, Luce CountyHodenpyl Dam Pond, Wexford CountyIntermediate Lake, Antrim CountyColdwater Lake, Branch CountyVan Etten Lake, Iosco CountyLake Gratiot, Keweenaw CountyBelleville Lake, Wayne CountyWest Twin Lake, Montmorency CountyCass Lake, Oakland CountySanford Lake, Midland CountyLake Cadillac, Wexford CountyWixom Lake, Gladwin CountyLac La Belle, Keweenaw CountyAustin Lake, Kalamazoo CountyCedar Lake, Alcona CountyMillecoquins Lake, Mackinac CountyPickerel Lake, Emmet CountyThousand Island Lake, Gogebic CountyKent Lake, Oakland CountyFord Lake, Washtenaw CountyBig Star Lake, Lake CountyPaw Paw Lake, Berrien CountyOtter Lake, Houghton CountyLake Fenton, Genesee CountyLittle Platte Lake, Benzie CountyOrchard Lake, Oakland CountyAu Train Lake, Alger CountyEast Twin Lake, Montmorency CountyBeaver Lake, Alger CountyLake Antoine, Dickinson CountyFremont Lake, Newaygo CountyMuskallonge Lake, Luce CountySilver Lake, Oceana CountyBeaver Lake, Alpena CountyPontiac Lake, Oakland CountyMona Lake, Muskegon CountyWalled Lake, Oakland CountyWhite Lake, Oakland CountyGrand Sable Lake, Alger CountyLime Lake, Leelanau CountyLittle Traverse Lake, Leelanau CountyLarks Lake, Emmet CountyCrooked Lake, Gogebic CountyHagerman Lake, Iron CountyFife Lake, Grand Traverse CountyWhitmore Lake, Livingston CountySunset Lake, Iron CountyUpper Herring Lake, Benzie CountyOttawa Lake, Iron CountyVineyard Lake, Jackson CountyStony Creek Lake, Macomb CountyLake Thumb, Charlevoix CountyCrooked Lake, Missaukee CountyDuck Lake, Calhoun CountyLake Orion, Oakland CountyNinth Street Pond, Alpena CountyWhitefish Lake, Gogebic CountyLong Lake, Iosco CountyLake Ann, Benzie CountyUnion Lake, Oakland CountyLake Lansing, Ingham CountyLangford Lake, Gogebic CountyLower Herring Lake, Benzie CountyMaceday Lake, Oakland CountyBeaufort Lake, Baraga CountyNawakwa Lake, Alger CountyNepessing Lake, Lapeer CountyEight Point Lake, Clare CountyLoon Lake, Iosco CountyArbutus Lake, Grand Traverse CountyAvalon Lake, Montmorency CountySixmile Lake, Charlevoix CountyPortage Lake, Jackson CountyLong Lake, Cheboygan CountyRound Lake, Emmet CountyBig Bear Lake, Otsego CountyFishers Lake, St. Joseph CountyLake Emily, Iron CountyBoardman Lake, Grand Traverse CountyThunder Lake, Schoolcraft CountyStanley Lake, Iron CountyGrass Lake, Montmorency CountyBear Lake, Kalkaska CountyGreen Lake, Allegan CountyBirch Lake, Antrim CountyPickerel Lake, Newaygo CountyLong Lake, Barry CountyDeer Island Lake, Gogebic CountyBarton Pond, Washtenaw CountyDeer Lake, Charlevoix CountyLake Mecosta, Mecosta CountyGolden Lake, Iron CountyLong Lake, Montmorency CountyColdwater Lake, Isabella CountyTownline Lake, Montcalm CountySquaw Lake, Marquette CountyAu Sable Lake, Ogemaw CountyStony Lake, Oceana CountyLake Nettie, Presque Isle CountyGeddes Pond, Washtenaw CountyDonnell Lake, Cass CountyLake Roland, Houghton CountyBass Lake, Schoolcraft CountySand Lake, Iosco CountyCedar Lake, Leelanau CountyWinslow Lake, Iron CountyHart Lake, Oceana CountyLoon Lake, Oakland CountyRush Lake, Montmorency CountyLake Fanny Hooe, Keweenaw CountyRoss Lake, Gladwin CountyLower Straits Lake, Oakland CountyWoodland Lake, Newaygo CountyHalfmoon Lake, Washtenaw CountyEcho Lake, Alger CountyPiatt Lake, Chippewa CountyEvans Lake, Lenawee CountyOre Lake, Livingston CountyFarewell Lake, Jackson CountyLong Lake, St. Joseph CountyRoss Lake, Schoolcraft CountyRuth Lake, Baraga CountyCedar Hedge Lake, Grand Traverse CountyBills Lake, Newaygo CountyJewell Lake, Alcona CountyShag Lake, Marquette CountyGrassy Lake, Schoolcraft CountyBarlow Lake, Barry CountyGreen Lake, Oakland CountyLake of the Woods, Antrim CountyLong Lake, Oakland CountyLog Lake, Marquette CountyBudd Lake, Clare CountyFlat Rock Impoundment, Wayne CountyTriangle Lake, Schoolcraft CountyLake Keewaydin, Marquette CountyBass Lake, Luce CountyMonocle Lake, Chippewa CountyBass Lake, Antrim CountyCedar Island Lake, Oakland CountyMcKeever Lake, Schoolcraft CountyLake of the Clouds, Ontonagon CountyClear Lake, Montmorency CountyVandercook Lake, Jackson CountyLake George, Clare CountyGilead Lake, Branch CountyPleasant Lake, Wexford CountyClear Lake, Jackson CountyEast Lake, Menominee CountyFire Lake, Iron CountyGuthrie Lake, Otsego CountyPickerel Lake, Newaygo CountyJose Lake, Iosco CountyOpal Lake, Otsego CountyWoodhull Lake, Oakland CountyGaylanta Lake, Montmorency CountyHoffman Lake, Charlevoix CountyPerch Lake, Luce CountyThayer Lake, Keweenaw CountyGemini Lakes, Schoolcraft CountyStarvation Lake, Kalkaska CountyDerby Lake, Montcalm CountySylvan Lake, Newaygo CountyEllsworth Lake, Antrim CountyLittle Bear Lake, Otsego CountyEss Lake, Montmorency CountyIsland Lake, Schoolcraft CountyLong Lake, Oakland CountyLittle Shag Lake, Marquette CountyLake Twentyseven, Otsego CountyThird Fortune Lake, Iron CountyPickerel Lake, Kalkaska CountyLake Angeline, Marquette CountyLost Lake, Presque Isle CountyShupac Lake, Crawford CountyMcCormick Lake, Montmorency CountyClam Lake, Antrim CountyImp Lake, Gogebic CountyDana Lake, Delta CountyLake George, Ogemaw CountyLake Fifteen, Montmorency CountyLoon Lake, Oscoda CountyArgo Pond, Washtenaw CountyGreen Lake, Washtenaw CountyBelle Lake, North, Luce CountyMoccasin Lake, Alger CountyLoon Lake, Oakland CountyLong Lake, Barry CountyElk Lake, Gladwin CountyPickerel Lake, Dickinson CountyBlind Lake, Washtenaw CountyScotts Lake, Antrim CountyCamp Eight Lake, Luce CountySilver Lake, Cheboygan CountyJackpine Lake, Delta CountyHeart Lake, Otsego CountySection One Lake, Crawford CountyLong Lake, Kalkaska CountySt. Clair Lake, Antrim CountyBlue Lake, Kalkaska CountyLancaster Lake, Cheboygan CountyEmerald Lake, Otsego CountyCedar Lake, Grand Traverse CountyCamp Seven Lake, Delta CountyCrooked Lake, Montmorency CountyPretty Lake, Luce CountySwan Lake, Schoolcraft CountyPettibone Lake, Newaygo CountyWheeler Lake, Kalkaska CountyDeadman Lake, Ontonagon CountyMuddy Lake, Alger CountyRoland Lake, Baraga CountyDevereaux Lake, Cheboygan CountySchoolhouse Lake, Oakland CountyHuntoon Lake, Oakland CountyAndrus Lake, Chippewa CountyTee Lake, Ogemaw CountyRansom Lake, Newaygo CountyCanfield Lake, Manistee CountyDutch Fred Lake, Schoolcraft CountyDeadmans Lake, Luce CountyBay City Lake, Mackinac CountyFlorence Lake, Gogebic CountyHightower Lake, Oceana CountyWaco Lake, Delta CountyGreen Lake, Antrim CountyLong Lake, Ogemaw CountyCarp Lake, Alger CountyPickerel Lake, Crawford CountyLong Lake, Presque Isle CountyTwin Lake (South), Grand Traverse CountySecord Lake, Iosco CountyClear Lake, Kent CountyCedar Lake, Gladwin CountyLittle Lake, Oakland CountySquare Lake, Delta CountyLake Twentythree, Delta County

Recorded here Other lakes with fish records

How we know

  • 243lakes where an angler registered one (Master Angler)
  • 61lakes where a DNR fisheries survey netted them
  • 38lakes the DNR has stocked with this fish; 28 of them are listed on stocking alone, because these fish keep breeding once established

A lake can appear in more than one line. A lake that isn’t listed may still have them: records exist only where someone caught, netted or stocked them.

Inland lakes on this list run from 7 to 19,592 acres (median 273) and from 3 to 285 ft deep (median 40.5 ft).

When and how big smallmouth bass are caught

From 2,913 Master Angler entries, 1994–2025, from all Michigan waters including the Great Lakes. An entry needs a fish at least 21 in, so these describe big fish that anglers chose to register — where and when people fish, not how many fish a lake holds.

Entries by month

The busiest month is July (20% of entries); 1% come in December–February (lighter bars), mostly through the ice.

Size of registered fish

Half were 21.5 in or less, and 9 in 10 were under 22.5 in.

Method

Spincasting57%
Still Fishing17%
Trolling13%
Drift Fishing10%
Fly Fishing1%

Bait

Artificial lures36%
Minnows and baitfish22%
Worms and crawlers19%
Live bait (type not given)13%
Leeches3%
Other3%

Share of entries that recorded a method (2,823) or a bait (1,525).

Lakes on this site with the most entries

  1. Lake St. Clair, St. Clair 705
  2. Grand Traverse Bay, Grand Traverse 75
  3. Burt Lake, Cheboygan 62
  4. Lake Charlevoix, Charlevoix 54
  5. Saginaw Bay, Bay 52
  6. Lake Skegemog, Kalkaska 50
  7. Elk Lake, Antrim 47
  8. Little Bay de Noc, Delta 43
  9. Mullett Lake, Cheboygan 38
  10. Crystal Lake, Benzie 37

Master Angler entries matched to each lake. A busy lake gets more entries; this is not a ranking of fishing quality.

Often found with

Share of these lakes that also list each fish.

How to recognize it

The upper jaw reaches only to the middle of the eye, the spiny and soft parts of the dorsal fin are joined, and the cheeks carry bronze streaks.

Don’t confuse it with

Largemouth bass — The jaw reaches past the rear of the eye, and a deep notch nearly splits the dorsal fin.

Up close

Illustration of a smallmouth bass's head and front half from the side, mouth closed, with the upper jaw ending below the eye, a shallow notch joining the two parts of the dorsal fin, and dark vertical bars on bronze-brown sides.
Smallmouth bass: the upper jaw ends below the eye, not past it; the dorsal fin is joined by a shallow notch; dark vertical bars on bronze-brown sides.
Illustration of a largemouth bass's head and front half from the side, mouth closed, with the upper jaw reaching past the back of the eye, a deep notch between the two parts of the dorsal fin, and a dark band along the side.
Largemouth bass: the upper jaw reaches past the back of the eye; the dorsal fin is almost split in two; a dark band runs along the side.

AI-generated close-ups, not photographs, drawn from the cited descriptions. They show what to look for; they are not a substitute for an expert identification (provenance).

Life in a Michigan lake

Smallmouth dominate the farther north you go in Michigan. They are tied more to rocky habitat and rivers than largemouth, though both are often caught in the same lakes.

The male builds a nest in quiet water near shore, never far from deep water or cover. Eggs hatch in 2–3 days; the fry hide in the gravel, then swim in a dark cloud over the nest under the male’s guard before scattering. Smallmouth mature at 3–4 years.

Source: Michigan DNR species page.

Rules and eating

Check the rules before you keep fish. Each lake page shows the regulations that apply there, and the Michigan Fishing Guide is the official source. Before eating fish from a particular lake, check Michigan’s Eat Safe Fish guidelines.

All 291 lakes with smallmouth bass

Show every lake, by county

Alcona County 3

Cedar Lake, Hubbard Lake, Jewell Lake

Alger County 8

Au Train Lake, Beaver Lake, Carp Lake, Echo Lake, Grand Sable Lake, Moccasin Lake, Muddy Lake, Nawakwa Lake

Allegan County 1

Green Lake

Alpena County 4

Beaver Lake, Fletcher Pond, Ninth Street Pond, Thunder Bay

Antrim County 12

Bass Lake, Birch Lake, Clam Lake, Elk Lake, Ellsworth Lake, Green Lake, Intermediate Lake, Lake Bellaire, Lake of the Woods, Scotts Lake, St. Clair Lake, Torch Lake

Baraga County 3

Beaufort Lake, Roland Lake, Ruth Lake

Barry County 4

Barlow Lake, Gun Lake, Long Lake, Long Lake

Bay County 1

Saginaw Bay

Benzie County 6

Crystal Lake, Lake Ann, Little Platte Lake, Lower Herring Lake, Platte Lake, Upper Herring Lake

Berrien County 1

Paw Paw Lake

Branch County 2

Coldwater Lake, Gilead Lake

Calhoun County 1

Duck Lake

Cass County 1

Donnell Lake

Charlevoix County 6

Deer Lake, Hoffman Lake, Lake Charlevoix, Lake Thumb, Sixmile Lake, Walloon Lake

Cheboygan County 8

Black Lake, Burt Lake, Devereaux Lake, Douglas Lake, Lancaster Lake, Long Lake, Mullett Lake, Silver Lake

Chippewa County 4

Andrus Lake, Monocle Lake, Piatt Lake, Whitefish Bay

Clare County 3

Budd Lake, Eight Point Lake, Lake George

Crawford County 4

Lake Margrethe, Pickerel Lake, Section One Lake, Shupac Lake

Delta County 8

Big Bay de Noc, Camp Seven Lake, Dana Lake, Jackpine Lake, Lake Twentythree, Little Bay de Noc, Square Lake, Waco Lake

Dickinson County 2

Lake Antoine, Pickerel Lake

Emmet County 6

Crooked Lake, Lake Paradise, Larks Lake, Little Traverse Bay, Pickerel Lake, Round Lake

Genesee County 1

Lake Fenton

Gladwin County 4

Cedar Lake, Elk Lake, Ross Lake, Wixom Lake

Gogebic County 7

Crooked Lake, Deer Island Lake, Florence Lake, Imp Lake, Langford Lake, Thousand Island Lake, Whitefish Lake

Grand Traverse County 10

Arbutus Lake, Boardman Lake, Cedar Hedge Lake, Cedar Lake, Duck Lake, Fife Lake, Grand Traverse Bay, Green Lake, Long Lake, Twin Lake (South)

Houghton County 2

Lake Roland, Otter Lake

Huron County 1

Wildfowl Bay

Ingham County 1

Lake Lansing

Iosco County 7

Jose Lake, Long Lake, Loon Lake, Sand Lake, Secord Lake, Tawas Bay, Van Etten Lake

Iron County 9

Fire Lake, Golden Lake, Hagerman Lake, Lake Emily, Ottawa Lake, Stanley Lake, Sunset Lake, Third Fortune Lake, Winslow Lake

Isabella County 1

Coldwater Lake

Jackson County 5

Clear Lake, Farewell Lake, Portage Lake, Vandercook Lake, Vineyard Lake

Kalamazoo County 2

Austin Lake, Gull Lake

Kalkaska County 7

Bear Lake, Blue Lake, Lake Skegemog, Long Lake, Pickerel Lake, Starvation Lake, Wheeler Lake

Kent County 1

Clear Lake

Keweenaw County 4

Lac La Belle, Lake Fanny Hooe, Lake Gratiot, Thayer Lake

Lake County 1

Big Star Lake

Lapeer County 1

Nepessing Lake

Leelanau County 5

Cedar Lake, Glen Lake, Lake Leelanau, Lime Lake, Little Traverse Lake

Lenawee County 1

Evans Lake

Livingston County 2

Ore Lake, Whitmore Lake

Luce County 8

Bass Lake, Belle Lake, North, Camp Eight Lake, Deadmans Lake, Muskallonge Lake, North Manistique Lake, Perch Lake, Pretty Lake

Mackinac County 6

Bay City Lake, Brevoort Lake, Manistique Lake, Milakokia Lake, Millecoquins Lake, South Manistique Lake

Macomb County 1

Stony Creek Lake

Manistee County 3

Bear Lake, Canfield Lake, Portage Lake

Marquette County 8

Lake Angeline, Lake Independence, Lake Keewaydin, Lake Michigamme, Little Shag Lake, Log Lake, Shag Lake, Squaw Lake

Mason County 1

Hamlin Lake

Mecosta County 1

Lake Mecosta

Menominee County 1

East Lake

Midland County 1

Sanford Lake

Missaukee County 2

Crooked Lake, Lake Missaukee

Monroe County 1

Brest Bay

Montcalm County 2

Derby Lake, Townline Lake

Montmorency County 12

Avalon Lake, Clear Lake, Crooked Lake, East Twin Lake, Ess Lake, Gaylanta Lake, Grass Lake, Lake Fifteen, Long Lake, McCormick Lake, Rush Lake, West Twin Lake

Muskegon County 2

Mona Lake, Muskegon Lake

Newaygo County 8

Bills Lake, Fremont Lake, Pettibone Lake, Pickerel Lake, Pickerel Lake, Ransom Lake, Sylvan Lake, Woodland Lake

Oakland County 20

Cass Lake, Cedar Island Lake, Green Lake, Huntoon Lake, Kent Lake, Lake Orion, Little Lake, Long Lake, Long Lake, Loon Lake, Loon Lake, Lower Straits Lake, Maceday Lake, Orchard Lake, Pontiac Lake, Schoolhouse Lake, Union Lake, Walled Lake, White Lake, Woodhull Lake

Oceana County 4

Hart Lake, Hightower Lake, Silver Lake, Stony Lake

Ogemaw County 4

Au Sable Lake, Lake George, Long Lake, Tee Lake

Ontonagon County 3

Deadman Lake, Lake Gogebic, Lake of the Clouds

Oscoda County 1

Loon Lake

Otsego County 8

Big Bear Lake, Emerald Lake, Guthrie Lake, Heart Lake, Lake Twentyseven, Little Bear Lake, Opal Lake, Otsego Lake

Presque Isle County 5

Grand Lake, Lake Nettie, Long Lake, Long Lake, Lost Lake

Roscommon County 2

Higgins Lake, Houghton Lake

Schoolcraft County 11

Bass Lake, Dutch Fred Lake, Gemini Lakes, Grassy Lake, Indian Lake, Island Lake, McKeever Lake, Ross Lake, Swan Lake, Thunder Lake, Triangle Lake

St. Clair County 1

Lake St. Clair

St. Joseph County 2

Fishers Lake, Long Lake

Washtenaw County 7

Argo Pond, Barton Pond, Blind Lake, Ford Lake, Geddes Pond, Green Lake, Halfmoon Lake

Wayne County 2

Belleville Lake, Flat Rock Impoundment

Wexford County 4

Hodenpyl Dam Pond, Lake Cadillac, Lake Mitchell, Pleasant Lake

Sources

← All fish of Michigan