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Best pumpkinseed lakes in Michigan

21 Michigan waters hold pumpkinseed, 19 mapped with real state-agency depth surveys. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. The brilliant little sunfish of weedy northern bays — a snail-crunching shallow-water resident that outnumbers bluegill across the east and Canada.

1. Black Lake — 50 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
2. Gull Lake — 110 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Rainbow Trout
3. Marble Lake — 60 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
4. Rifle River — 7 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
5. Otter Lake — 29 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
6. Pine Lake — 34 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
7. Orchard Lake — 111 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill, Yellow Perch
8. Hess Lake — 29 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
9. Fremont Lake — 88 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie
10. George lake — 82 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
11. Whitmore Lake — 69 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
12. Duck Lake — 50 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
13. Saddle Lake — 30 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
14. Green Lake — 60 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
15. Au Sable Lake — 52 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
16. Long Lake — 57 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
17. Ryerson Lake — 80 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie
18. Long Lake — 35 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
19. Dewey Lake — 28 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
20. Hemlock Lake — 60 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
21. Muskegon River (Croton Tailwater) — 12 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike

When to fish pumpkinseed in Michigan

• Spring 1–8 ft — Spawning colonies carpet warm, protected bays — small baits dropped on the beds get instant attention.
• Summer 2–10 ft — Docks, pads and weed flats — pumpkinseeds hold tighter to vegetation than bluegill and love snails and nymphs.
• Fall 4–14 ft — Schools tighten on the last green weeds — find healthy cabbage near a drop and the school is there.
• Winter 6–18 ft — A staple ice panfish — soft-bottom flats just outside the deepest green weeds; downsize and watch for lift bites.

Also in Michigan: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best northern pike lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best muskellunge lakes · best yellow perch lakes · best common carp lakes · best chinook salmon lakes · best coho salmon lakes · best steelhead lakes · best lake trout lakes · best brown trout lakes · best brook trout lakes · best lake whitefish lakes · best rock bass lakes · best cisco (lake herring) lakes · best brown bullhead lakes

Pumpkinseed elsewhere: Minnesota · New Hampshire · Montana · New York