Michigan Lake Depths

Game fish · perch family

Walleye

Sander vitreus · also called pickerel, walleyed pike

Native to MichiganRecorded in 275 Michigan lakes and bays
Illustration of a walleye in side view
AI-generated illustration, not a photograph and not to scale.
Typical catch
About 5 years old, 1–3 lb
Spawns
March to May, over rocky shoals
Feeds
Most actively early morning and evening
Eats
Small bass, trout, pike, perch and sunfish
Michigan record
17 lb 3 oz, 35 in — Pine River, Manistee County, 1951

Where walleye have been recorded

275 of the 1,288 Michigan lakes on this site with fish records list walleye, across 72 counties, including 10 Great Lakes bays. Tap a dot to open that lake’s depth map.

Saginaw Bay, Bay CountyLake St. Clair, St. Clair CountyGrand Traverse Bay, Grand Traverse CountyBig Bay de Noc, Delta CountyThunder Bay, Alpena CountyKeweenaw Bay, Baraga CountyLittle Bay de Noc, Delta 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 CountyCrystal Lake, Benzie CountyHubbard Lake, Alcona CountyIndian Lake, Schoolcraft CountyTawas Bay, Iosco CountyElk Lake, Antrim CountyGrand Lake, Presque Isle CountyLake Leelanau, Leelanau CountyLong Lake, Presque Isle CountyHamlin Lake, Mason 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 CountyPortage Lake, Manistee CountyLake Missaukee, Missaukee CountyGull Lake, Kalamazoo CountyOtsego Lake, Otsego CountyBear Lake, Manistee CountyLake Margrethe, Crawford CountyLake Independence, Marquette CountyLake Macatawa, Ottawa CountyLake Bellaire, Antrim CountyNorth Manistique Lake, Luce CountyHodenpyl Dam Pond, Wexford CountyIntermediate Lake, Antrim CountyColdwater Lake, Branch CountyVan Etten Lake, Iosco CountyDevils Lake, Lenawee CountyBelleville Lake, Wayne CountyWest Twin Lake, Montmorency CountyCass Lake, Oakland CountySanford Lake, Midland CountyLake Cadillac, Wexford CountyWixom Lake, Gladwin CountyLac La Belle, Keweenaw CountyChicagon Lake, Iron CountyCedar Lake, Alcona CountyDiamond Lake, Cass CountyMillecoquins Lake, Mackinac CountyThousand Island Lake, Gogebic CountyKent Lake, Oakland CountyBig Star Lake, Lake CountyPaw Paw Lake, Berrien CountyOtter Lake, Houghton CountyLake Fenton, Genesee CountySage Lake, Ogemaw CountyCaribou Lake, Chippewa CountyAu Train Lake, Alger CountyEast Twin Lake, Montmorency CountyKlinger Lake, St. Joseph CountyMarble Lake, Branch CountyChippewa Lake, Mecosta CountyLake Antoine, Dickinson CountyFremont Lake, Newaygo CountyMuskallonge Lake, Luce CountyCrystal Lake, Montcalm CountySilver Lake, Oceana CountyBeaver Lake, Alpena CountyPontiac Lake, Oakland CountyMona Lake, Muskegon CountyWhite Lake, Oakland CountyWorm Lake, Baraga CountyDuck Lake, Gogebic CountySilver Lake, Grand Traverse CountyCorey Lake, St. Joseph CountyHagerman Lake, Iron CountyClark Lake, Jackson CountyFife Lake, Grand Traverse CountyLobdell Lake, Genesee CountyCisco Lake, Gogebic CountyWhitmore Lake, Livingston CountySunset Lake, Iron CountyUpper Herring Lake, Benzie CountyWall Lake, Barry CountyOttawa Lake, Iron CountyTeal Lake, Marquette CountyStony Creek Lake, Macomb CountyUnion Lake, Branch CountyDuck Lake, Calhoun CountyLake Orion, Oakland CountyNinth Street Pond, Alpena CountyKing Lake, Baraga CountyWhitefish Lake, Montcalm CountyLong Lake, Iosco CountyRound Lake, Delta CountyLake Geneserath, Charlevoix CountyUnion Lake, Oakland CountyPalmer Lake, St. Joseph CountyHorsehead Lake, Mecosta CountyLower Herring Lake, Benzie CountyMaceday Lake, Oakland CountyLittle Lake, Marquette CountyLakeville Lake, Oakland CountyNawakwa Lake, Alger CountyNepessing Lake, Lapeer CountyGoose Lake, Marquette CountyIron Lake, Iron CountyEight Point Lake, Clare CountyLoon Lake, Iosco CountyThornapple Lake, Barry CountyArbutus Lake, Grand Traverse CountyEagle Lake, Cass CountyRose Lake, Osceola CountyPortage Lake, Jackson CountyLong Lake, Cheboygan CountyRound Lake, Emmet CountyGoguac Lake, Calhoun CountyBig Bear Lake, Otsego CountyLong Lake, Ionia CountyWiggins Lake, Gladwin CountyFish Lake, Cass CountyLake Emily, Iron CountyThunder Lake, Schoolcraft CountyStanley Lake, Iron CountyLake Chemung, Livingston CountyMatteson Lake, Branch CountyBrooks Lake, Newaygo CountyBodi Lake, Luce CountyLake Mecosta, Mecosta CountyLake of the Woods, Van Buren CountyGravel Lake, Van Buren CountyLong Lake, Montmorency CountyColdwater Lake, Isabella CountyLake Esau, Presque Isle CountyTownline Lake, Montcalm CountyLake Mary, Iron CountySquaw Lake, Marquette CountyPike Lake, Luce CountyAu Sable Lake, Ogemaw CountyOxbow Lake, Oakland CountyDonnell Lake, Cass CountySand Lake, Iosco CountyWoodland Lake, Livingston CountyWinslow Lake, Iron CountyStrawberry Lake, Livingston CountyPleasant Lake, St. Joseph CountyCedar Lake, Van Buren CountyDeer Lake, Alger CountyHart Lake, Oceana CountyAlgonquin Lake, Barry CountyWolverine Lake, Oakland CountyLong Lake, Clare CountySawyer Lake, Dickinson CountyClear Lake, St. Joseph CountyPeach Lake, Ogemaw CountyBig Bradford Lake, Otsego CountyRoss Lake, Gladwin CountyBlue Lake, Mecosta CountyDickerson Lake, Montcalm CountyWoodland Lake, Newaygo CountyLong Lake, Cass CountySunday Lake, Gogebic CountyMcCollum Lake, Oscoda CountyBrule Lake, Iron CountyEvans Lake, Lenawee CountyLake Cora, Van Buren CountyBig Lake, Oakland CountyTea Lake, Oscoda CountyBig Lake, Osceola CountyWitch Lake, Marquette CountyClear Lake, Ogemaw CountyBirch Lake, Gogebic CountyLittlefield Lake, Isabella CountyPetes Lake, Schoolcraft CountyBills Lake, Newaygo CountyParent Lake, Baraga CountyGrassy Lake, Schoolcraft CountyRainy Lake, Presque Isle CountyPratt Lake, Gladwin CountyFrenchman Lake, Chippewa CountyMurphy Lake, Tuscola CountyRifle Lake, Ogemaw CountyFord Lake, Mason CountyMaple Lake, Van Buren CountyBarlow Lake, Barry CountyOsterhout Lake, Allegan CountyLong Lake, Oakland CountyBudd Lake, Clare CountySeven Lakes, Oakland CountyLake Sainte Kathryn, Iron CountyRound Lake, Mecosta CountyTriangle Lake, Schoolcraft CountyTurk Lake, Montcalm CountyLong Lake, Hillsdale CountyBuck Lake, Iron CountyFish Lake, Marquette CountyBennett Lake, Livingston CountyBass Lake, Luce CountyKimball Lake, Newaygo CountyHemlock Lake, Hillsdale CountyIsland Lake, Livingston CountyZukey Lake, Livingston CountyNichols Lake, Newaygo CountyOcqueoc Lake, Presque Isle CountyDuck Lake, Allegan CountyGooseneck Lake, Delta CountyFish Lake, Alger CountyMuskellunge Lake, Montcalm CountySchool Section Lake, Mecosta CountyBig Lake, Otsego CountyJose Lake, Iosco CountyOpal Lake, Otsego CountyDevoe Lake, Ogemaw CountyBig Lake, Baraga CountyCrockery Lake, Ottawa CountyStager Lake, Iron CountyHackert Lake, Mason CountyPretty Lake, Mecosta CountySylvan Lake, Newaygo CountyEss Lake, Montmorency CountyCarney Lake, Dickinson CountyLong Lake, Oakland CountyCulhane Lake, Luce CountyLake Twentyseven, Otsego CountySand Lake, St. Joseph CountyPickerel Lake, Kalkaska CountySaddlebag Lake, Cass CountyTyrone Lake, Livingston CountyMehl Lake, Marquette CountySaddlebag Lake, Osceola CountyCrescent Lake, Oakland CountyClam Lake, Antrim CountyLittle Wolf Lake, Montmorency CountyRound Lake, Iosco CountySelkirk Lake, Allegan CountyBaptist Lake, Newaygo CountyPike Lake, Marquette CountyDixon Lake, Otsego CountyJohnson Lake, Marquette CountyFox Lake, Charlevoix CountyDeer Lake, Iron CountyHamilton Lake, Dickinson CountyChain Lakes, Iosco CountyOtter Lake, Lapeer CountyWoodard Lake, Ionia CountyWeber Lake, Alger CountyCub Lake, Kalkaska CountyNorway Lake, Dickinson CountyNorway Lake, Iron CountyCamp Seven Lake, Delta CountyCrooked Lake, Montmorency CountyPretty Lake, Luce CountyDickinson Lake, Oakland CountyCaulkins Lake, Otsego CountyJones Lake, Crawford CountyCarpenter Lake, Hillsdale CountyTownline Lake, Clare CountyTown Line Lake, Otsego CountyBasford Lake, Lake CountyLong Lake, Ogemaw CountyLong Lake, Presque Isle CountyCedar Lake, Kent County

Recorded here Other lakes with fish records

How we know

  • 93lakes where an angler registered one (Master Angler)
  • 63lakes where a DNR fisheries survey netted them
  • 220lakes the DNR has stocked since 2016; 136 of them are listed on that stocking alone

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 10 to 19,592 acres (median 301) and from 5 to 285 ft deep (median 40 ft).

When and how big walleye are caught

From 2,448 Master Angler entries, 1951–2025, from all Michigan waters including the Great Lakes. An entry needs a fish at least 29 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 April (21% of entries); 24% come in December–February (lighter bars), mostly through the ice.

Size of registered fish

Half were 30.2 in or less, and 9 in 10 were under 32 in.

Method

Trolling35%
Spincasting23%
Ice Fishing17%
Drift Fishing16%
Still Fishing7%

Bait

Artificial lures43%
Minnows and baitfish32%
Live bait (type not given)8%
Worms and crawlers6%
Combination4%
Other3%

Share of entries that recorded a method (2,339) or a bait (980).

Lakes on this site with the most entries

  1. Saginaw Bay, Bay 321
  2. Muskegon Lake, Muskegon 176
  3. Little Bay de Noc, Delta 151
  4. Lake Macatawa, Ottawa 62
  5. Lake St. Clair, St. Clair 39
  6. Lake Charlevoix, Charlevoix 28
  7. Big Bay de Noc, Delta 16
  8. Portage Lake, Manistee 13
  9. Brest Bay, Monroe 11
  10. Grand Traverse Bay, Grand Traverse 11

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

Two separate dorsal fins, a large cloudy eye, canine teeth, and white tips on the anal fin and lower tail. Walleye are the largest member of the perch family and lack the perch’s bold vertical bars.

Don’t confuse it with

Yellow perch — Yellow sides with dark vertical bars and no canine teeth.

Life in a Michigan lake

Walleye feed actively all winter, which makes them a year-round fishery. They are usually near the bottom, but the most active fish sometimes suspend in open water.

They spawn over rock shoals in rivers or lakes between March and May. Males mature at 2–4 years and females at 3–6. The sauger, a close look-alike, handles cloudy water better than walleye.

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 275 lakes with walleye

Show every lake, by county

Alcona County 2

Cedar Lake, Hubbard Lake

Alger County 5

Au Train Lake, Deer Lake, Fish Lake, Nawakwa Lake, Weber Lake

Allegan County 3

Duck Lake, Osterhout Lake, Selkirk Lake

Alpena County 3

Beaver Lake, Ninth Street Pond, Thunder Bay

Antrim County 5

Clam Lake, Elk Lake, Intermediate Lake, Lake Bellaire, Torch Lake

Baraga County 5

Big Lake, Keweenaw Bay, King Lake, Parent Lake, Worm Lake

Barry County 5

Algonquin Lake, Barlow Lake, Gun Lake, Thornapple Lake, Wall Lake

Bay County 1

Saginaw Bay

Benzie County 4

Crystal Lake, Lower Herring Lake, Platte Lake, Upper Herring Lake

Berrien County 1

Paw Paw Lake

Branch County 4

Coldwater Lake, Marble Lake, Matteson Lake, Union Lake

Calhoun County 2

Duck Lake, Goguac Lake

Cass County 6

Diamond Lake, Donnell Lake, Eagle Lake, Fish Lake, Long Lake, Saddlebag Lake

Charlevoix County 3

Fox Lake, Lake Charlevoix, Lake Geneserath

Cheboygan County 5

Black Lake, Burt Lake, Douglas Lake, Long Lake, Mullett Lake

Chippewa County 2

Caribou Lake, Frenchman Lake

Clare County 4

Budd Lake, Eight Point Lake, Long Lake, Townline Lake

Crawford County 2

Jones Lake, Lake Margrethe

Delta County 5

Big Bay de Noc, Camp Seven Lake, Gooseneck Lake, Little Bay de Noc, Round Lake

Dickinson County 5

Carney Lake, Hamilton Lake, Lake Antoine, Norway Lake, Sawyer Lake

Emmet County 2

Little Traverse Bay, Round Lake

Genesee County 2

Lake Fenton, Lobdell Lake

Gladwin County 4

Pratt Lake, Ross Lake, Wiggins Lake, Wixom Lake

Gogebic County 5

Birch Lake, Cisco Lake, Duck Lake, Sunday Lake, Thousand Island Lake

Grand Traverse County 5

Arbutus Lake, Fife Lake, Grand Traverse Bay, Long Lake, Silver Lake

Hillsdale County 3

Carpenter Lake, Hemlock Lake, Long Lake

Houghton County 1

Otter Lake

Ionia County 2

Long Lake, Woodard Lake

Iosco County 8

Chain Lakes, Jose Lake, Long Lake, Loon Lake, Round Lake, Sand Lake, Tawas Bay, Van Etten Lake

Iron County 15

Brule Lake, Buck Lake, Chicagon Lake, Deer Lake, Hagerman Lake, Iron Lake, Lake Emily, Lake Mary, Lake Sainte Kathryn, Norway Lake, Ottawa Lake, Stager Lake, Stanley Lake, Sunset Lake, Winslow Lake

Isabella County 2

Coldwater Lake, Littlefield Lake

Jackson County 2

Clark Lake, Portage Lake

Kalamazoo County 1

Gull Lake

Kalkaska County 3

Cub Lake, Lake Skegemog, Pickerel Lake

Kent County 1

Cedar Lake

Keweenaw County 1

Lac La Belle

Lake County 2

Basford Lake, Big Star Lake

Lapeer County 2

Nepessing Lake, Otter Lake

Leelanau County 1

Lake Leelanau

Lenawee County 2

Devils Lake, Evans Lake

Livingston County 8

Bennett Lake, Island Lake, Lake Chemung, Strawberry Lake, Tyrone Lake, Whitmore Lake, Woodland Lake, Zukey Lake

Luce County 7

Bass Lake, Bodi Lake, Culhane Lake, Muskallonge Lake, North Manistique Lake, Pike Lake, Pretty Lake

Mackinac County 4

Brevoort Lake, Manistique Lake, Millecoquins Lake, South Manistique Lake

Macomb County 1

Stony Creek Lake

Manistee County 2

Bear Lake, Portage Lake

Marquette County 11

Fish Lake, Goose Lake, Johnson Lake, Lake Independence, Lake Michigamme, Little Lake, Mehl Lake, Pike Lake, Squaw Lake, Teal Lake, Witch Lake

Mason County 3

Ford Lake, Hackert Lake, Hamlin Lake

Mecosta County 7

Blue Lake, Chippewa Lake, Horsehead Lake, Lake Mecosta, Pretty Lake, Round Lake, School Section Lake

Midland County 1

Sanford Lake

Missaukee County 1

Lake Missaukee

Monroe County 1

Brest Bay

Montcalm County 6

Crystal Lake, Dickerson Lake, Muskellunge Lake, Townline Lake, Turk Lake, Whitefish Lake

Montmorency County 6

Crooked Lake, East Twin Lake, Ess Lake, Little Wolf Lake, Long Lake, West Twin Lake

Muskegon County 2

Mona Lake, Muskegon Lake

Newaygo County 8

Baptist Lake, Bills Lake, Brooks Lake, Fremont Lake, Kimball Lake, Nichols Lake, Sylvan Lake, Woodland Lake

Oakland County 16

Big Lake, Cass Lake, Crescent Lake, Dickinson Lake, Kent Lake, Lake Orion, Lakeville Lake, Long Lake, Long Lake, Maceday Lake, Oxbow Lake, Pontiac Lake, Seven Lakes, Union Lake, White Lake, Wolverine Lake

Oceana County 2

Hart Lake, Silver Lake

Ogemaw County 7

Au Sable Lake, Clear Lake, Devoe Lake, Long Lake, Peach Lake, Rifle Lake, Sage Lake

Ontonagon County 1

Lake Gogebic

Osceola County 3

Big Lake, Rose Lake, Saddlebag Lake

Oscoda County 2

McCollum Lake, Tea Lake

Otsego County 9

Big Bear Lake, Big Bradford Lake, Big Lake, Caulkins Lake, Dixon Lake, Lake Twentyseven, Opal Lake, Otsego Lake, Town Line Lake

Ottawa County 2

Crockery Lake, Lake Macatawa

Presque Isle County 6

Grand Lake, Lake Esau, Long Lake, Long Lake, Ocqueoc Lake, Rainy Lake

Roscommon County 1

Houghton Lake

Schoolcraft County 5

Grassy Lake, Indian Lake, Petes Lake, Thunder Lake, Triangle Lake

St. Clair County 1

Lake St. Clair

St. Joseph County 6

Clear Lake, Corey Lake, Klinger Lake, Palmer Lake, Pleasant Lake, Sand Lake

Tuscola County 1

Murphy Lake

Van Buren County 5

Cedar Lake, Gravel Lake, Lake Cora, Lake of the Woods, Maple Lake

Wayne County 1

Belleville Lake

Wexford County 3

Hodenpyl Dam Pond, Lake Cadillac, Lake Mitchell

Sources

← All fish of Michigan