Black Crappie fishing on inland lakes

Black crappie fishing in the early spring can be productive and lots of fun! Target them in shallow water or along shallow side drop-offs by fishing minnows under a bobber or while casting small jigs tipped with minnows. Their season is open all year, and you can keep up to 25 per day.

Try any of these locations:

Southwest Lower Peninsula

• Green and Miner lakes (Allegan County)
• Gun, Pine and Thornapple lakes (Barry County)
• South Branch Galien River (Berrien County)
• Lake George, Marble Chain-of-Lakes, Randall Chain-of-Lakes and Union Lake (Branch County)
• Duck, Nottawa, Prairie and Wabascon lakes (Calhoun County)
• Birch and Shavehead lakes (Cass County)
• Barton and Long lakes (Kalamazoo County)
• Big Pleasant Lake and Lake Templene (St. Joseph County)
• Bankson Lake (Van Buren County)

Southeast Lower Peninsula

• Baw Beese and Long (Reading Township) lakes (Hillsdale County)
• Big Portage, Big Wolf, Clark, Crispell, Michigan Center, Pleasant and Swains lakes (Jackson County)
• Devils Lake (Lenawee County)
• Lake St. Clair and Stony Creek Impoundment (Macomb County)
• Ponds at Sterling State Park (Monroe County)
• Alderman, Big, Big Seven, Buhl, Cass, Cedar Island, Chamberlain, Clear, Crescent, Crooked, Crystal, Deer, Dickinson, Galloway, Heron, Long, Lotus, Lower Pettibone, Maceday, Mickelson, Middle Straits, Moore, Orchard, Otter, Pontiac, Prince, Proud (upper and lower), Silver, Squaw, Stewart, Sylvan, Tan, Teeple, Tipisco, Union, Upper Silver, Valley, White, Wildwood, Wolverine or Woodhull lakes (Oakland County)
• Belleville Lake (Wayne County)

Western Upper Peninsula 

• Beatons Lake (Gogebic County) - bluegill, smallmouth bass, northern pike
• Courtney Lake (Ontonagon County) - largemouth bass, black crappie
• Otter Lake (Houghton County) - black crappie, smallmouth bass, northern pike, walleye
• Perch Lake (Iron County) - walleye, yellow perch, bluegill, northern pike