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Best yellow perch lakes in Michigan

527 Michigan waters hold yellow perch, 511 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 premier eating panfish. Roams soft-bottom flats and weed edges in schools — a daytime biter.

1. Lake Huron — Sunrise Coast — 437 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Yellow Perch, Steelhead
2. Lake Erie — Western Basin — 48 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Channel Catfish
3. Lake St. Clair — 65 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
4. Lake Michigan — Green Bay North and Bays de Noc — 129 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Muskellunge
5. Lake Huron — Thumb Shore — 191 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Yellow Perch, Steelhead
6. Lake Huron — Saginaw Bay — 83 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
7. Lake Michigan — Michigan South Shore — 278 ft max · Yellow Perch, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Steelhead
8. Lake Charlevoix — 122 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch
9. Charlevoix, Lake — 122 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
10. Lake Michigan — Grand Traverse Bays — 603 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Chinook Salmon, Steelhead
11. Torch Lake — 250 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Lake Trout
12. Lake Gogebic — 35 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
13. Mullett Lake — 120 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
14. Mullett Lake — 120 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout
15. Houghton Lake — 21 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
16. Burt Lake — 73 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
17. Portage Lake (UP) — 68 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie, Yellow Perch
18. Walloon Lake — 100 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
19. Crystal Lake — 175 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch, Lake Trout
20. Grand Lake — 25 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Yellow Perch
21. Hamlin Lake — 65 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
22. Higgins Lake — 130 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch
23. Leelanau, Lake — 62 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
24. Long Lake — 25 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
25. Fletcher Pond — 70 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie, Bluegill

…plus 502 more Michigan waters holding yellow perch.

When to fish yellow perch in Michigan

• Spring 3–12 ft — Spawning runs to shallow weeds and gravel — find the school, stay on it.
• Summer 10–30 ft — Schools slide deeper to soft-bottom flats and deep weedlines.
• Fall 12–35 ft — Jumbo perch pod up on deep basin flats feeding on invertebrates.
• Winter 15–35 ft — A premier ice-fishing target — deep mud flats, small jigs.

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 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 pumpkinseed lakes · best brown bullhead lakes

Yellow Perch elsewhere: Ontario · Minnesota · Québec · New Hampshire · Montana · Wyoming · Massachusetts · Washington · North Dakota · Iowa · Indiana · Connecticut · Ohio · Utah · Colorado · South Dakota · New York · Wisconsin · Delaware · Manitoba · Alberta · Vermont · Rhode Island · New Jersey