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Best brown bullhead lakes in Michigan

693 Michigan waters list brown bullhead (official records or labelled estimates), 693 mapped with survey or official-chart depth data. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality, leading with the waters in our reviewed search catalog — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. Night-feeding catfish of weedy, mud-bottomed lakes — the classic after-dark shoreline bite across the east and Canada.

1. Black Lake — 50 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #1: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
2. Brevoort Lake — 26 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #2: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
3. Wixom Lake — 40 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #3: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
4. Douglas Lake — 80 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, BluegillWhy #4: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
5. Gull Lake — 110 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, BluegillWhy #5: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
6. George lake — 82 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #6: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
7. Pine Lake — 90 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #7: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 5 public access sites
8. Round Lake — 67 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, White Bass, BluegillWhy #8: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
9. Bird Lake — 64 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #9: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
10. Wabascon Lake — 45 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #10: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
11. Hubbell Pond — 15 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #11: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 5 public access sites
12. Muskrat Lake — 5 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #12: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
13. Clear Lake — 30 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie, BluegillWhy #13: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
14. Shamrock Lake — 10 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #14: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
15. Bush Lake — 47 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #15: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
16. Osterhout Lake — 30 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #16: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
17. Thompson Lake — 25 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, BluegillWhy #17: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
18. Blue Lake — 80 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #18: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
19. Bishop Lake — 54 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #19: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
20. Nottawa Lake — 15 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #20: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
21. Hillsview Lake — 40 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie, BluegillWhy #21: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
22. Independence Lake — 30 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #22: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
23. Joslin Lake — 20 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #23: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
24. Sugarloaf Lake — 10 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #24: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
25. Goose Lake — 60 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, White Bass, Northern PikeWhy #25: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites

…plus 668 more Michigan waters holding brown bullhead.

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When to fish brown bullhead in Michigan

• Spring 2–8 ft — First warm rains pull bullheads into black-bottomed bays and creek mouths — the classic spring shore bite.
• Summer 3–12 ft — Day fish hold on deeper mud and weed edges; after dark they spread across the shallows to feed by smell.
• Fall 5–15 ft — Fish slide toward deeper soft bottoms as the shallows cool — the evening bite shortens with the days.
• Winter 10–25 ft — Bullheads pod up half-dormant in the deepest mud basins; a long soak with bait on bottom is the lone play.

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Brown Bullhead elsewhere: Ontario · Minnesota · British Columbia · Québec · Maine · New Hampshire · New York · Massachusetts · Connecticut · Nebraska · California · Vermont · South Dakota · Nova Scotia · New Jersey