Traverse City anglers can reach 24 of the waters in our guide in 75 minutes or less by car — 23 lakes and 1 reservoir. Together they hold records of 64 fish species.
The shortest drive: Lake Michigan, 2 min
Starting from Traverse City, the nearest water is Lake Michigan at 2 min (0.6 mi). The drive time is measured to the ramp: Boardman River.
Next by drive time:
- Boardman Lake (reservoir) — 3 min (1.1 mi)
- Silver Lake — 9 min (6.5 mi)
- Long Lake — 13 min (9.3 mi)
64 fish species around Traverse City
Of all the species, Brown Trout is on record at the most waters — 14 out of 24. Next come Walleye (13), Bluegill (12), Cisco (11) and Lake Trout (9).
Where to find them closest to town:
- Brown Trout: Lake Michigan, 2 min (0.6 mi)
- Walleye: Boardman Lake, 3 min (1.1 mi)
- Bluegill: Silver Lake, 9 min (6.5 mi)
- Cisco and Lake Trout: Lake Leelanau, 15 min (9.1 mi)
Leading the list: Lake Michigan
Our ranking for Traverse City weighs the drive, the depth map, the fish on record and the ramps; it puts these 3 first:
- Lake Michigan: 14,296,859 acres, 62 fish species on record, max depth 902.2 ft (surveyed), 321 ramps and 203,530,924 fish stocked.
- Elk Lake: 8,106 acres, 15 fish species on record, max depth 150 ft (surveyed), 6 ramps and 1,899,154 fish stocked.
- Green Lake: 2,012 acres, 14 fish species on record, max depth 102 ft (surveyed), 3 ramps and 716,096 fish stocked.
Lake Michigan goes down to 902.2 ft
Lake Michigan has the greatest depth on our map near here, 902.2 ft (surveyed). Other deep spots are Torch Lake (250 ft), Crystal Lake (175 ft) and Elk Lake (150 ft). Maximum depths are known for all 24 waters.
71 boat ramps within reach
Public access near Traverse City adds up to 71 boat ramps and 5 shore-fishing spots. Nearest to the center for launching: Boardman River on Lake Michigan, roughly 0.3 mi as the crow flies.
Stocking records around Traverse City
24 waters here have stocked fish on record, led by Lake Michigan (203,530,924 fish), Long Lake (13,519,904 fish) and Platte Lake (13,266,189 fish).
Camping within reach of Traverse City
You can camp next to the water: 8 campgrounds are within reach of Traverse City. Nearest to the city: Traverse City State Park Campground (3.4 mi, by Lake Michigan), South Beach Campground (7.4 mi, by Lake Michigan) and Coldbrook Beach Campground (7.6 mi, by Lake Leelanau).
