← Leelanau County

Little Traverse Lake

📍 Leelanau County, Michigan

Little Traverse Lake is a fishing water in Leelanau County, Michigan (Central Lake Michigan management unit).

35
Fish species
0
Boat launches
✓
Public access
Conditions today D 44/100 Below-average Last stocked Apr 15, 2017 Hybrid Sunfish, 9.6 years ago Keeper size (estimated) No estimate Not enough size data Access 0 boat launches Public access

📊 Fishing Conditions

The fishing conditions score rates how favorable Little Traverse Lake looks for the day you pick (today by default), from 0 to 100. It adds up five things: how recently the lake was stocked, the moon phase, the season, how many game and panfish species live here (such as bluegill, smallmouth bass and yellow perch), and the size of the lake. It does not include the weather forecast. The cards below show how many points each factor contributed.

D
44/100
Monday, November 2, 2026
Conditions score

Below-average, consider a different lake or time of day.

🎣 Stocking
Last stocked Apr 15, 2017
Last: Apr 15, 2017
🌗 Moon Phase
Last Quarter
Feeding bonus
🍃 Season
Late Fall: fish fattening up
November
🐟 Species
8 game/panfish species: outstanding variety
Game & panfish
📐 Lake Size
Size unknown
Surface area

Fishing Tips for Little Traverse Lake Today

Fall fish at Little Traverse Lake are feeding heavily before winter. Match the forage: shad, crawfish, and perch patterns work well.

📊 Fishing Pressure

Fishing pressure is our estimate of how busy Little Traverse Lake is likely to be today. It looks at the day of the week, the time of year, and whether the lake has been stocked recently, because fresh stockings tend to draw anglers. Lower pressure usually means more room to work the water for bluegill, smallmouth bass and yellow perch.

Very Low estimated pressure today
Popular stocking lake

Very little activity expected. A great time to have the lake to yourself.

Estimate based on day of week, season, and recent stocking. Not a live crowd count.

🐟 Fish Species in Little Traverse Lake

Bluegill Good
Lepomis macrochirus
Smallmouth Bass Good
Micropterus dolomieu
Yellow Perch Good
Perca flavescens
Golden Shiner Good
Notemigonus crysoleucas
Brown Bullhead Good
Ameiurus nebulosus
Hybrid Sunfish Good
Lepomis macrochirus x Lepomis cyanellus
Pumpkinseed Good
Lepomis gibbosus
Rock Bass Good
Ambloplites rupestris
Bluntnose Minnow Good
Pimephales notatus
Brook Silverside Good
Labidesthes sicculus
Brook Stickleback Good
Culaea inconstans
Central Mudminnow Good
Umbra limi
Common Shiner Good
Luxilus cornutus
Emerald Shiner Good
Notropis atherinoides
Fathead Minnow Good
Pimephales promelas
Finescale Dace Good
Phoxinus neogaeus
Golden Redhorse Good
Moxostoma erythrurum
Goldfish Good
Carassius auratus
Lake Chub Good
Couesius plumbeus
Least Darter Good
Etheostoma microperca
Longnose Sucker Good
Catostomus catostomus
Mimic Shiner Good
Notropis volucellus
Mottled Sculpin Good
Cottus bairdii
Ninespine Stickleback Good
Pungitius pungitius
Northern Pearl Dace Good
Margariscus nachtriebi
Northern Redbelly Dace Good
Phoxinus eos
Sand Shiner Good
Notropis stramineus
Shorthead Redhorse Good
Moxostoma macrolepidotum
Slimy Sculpin Good
Cottus cognatus
Spotfin Shiner Good
Cyprinella spiloptera
Spottail Shiner Good
Notropis hudsonius
Threespine Stickleback Good
Gasterosteus aculeatus
Trout-Perch Good
Percopsis omiscomaycus
Western Banded Killifish Good
Fundulus diaphanus
White Sucker Good
Catostomus commersonii
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📅 Best Time to Fish Little Traverse Lake

Combined bite activity across all 35 species in this lake.

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
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Nov
Dec

📏 Fishing Regulations

Statewide general rules for the species found here. Individual waters can have exceptions (special size limits, closed seasons, trout lake types), so check this lake's listing in the official DNR Fishing Guide before heading out.
SpeciesMin sizeDaily limit
BluegillNone25 sunfish combined
Smallmouth Bass14"5 bass combined
Yellow PerchNone25
Hybrid SunfishNone25 sunfish combined
PumpkinseedNone25 sunfish combined
Rock BassNone25 sunfish combined
📅 Stocking Timeline 5-year history
1 Stocking events
200 Fish stocked
1 Species
3488d Since last stock
Hybrid Sunfish 200
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
Today
Qty / event
Apr '17

📋 Little Traverse Lake Stocking Records

Date Species Quantity Size
Apr 15, 2017 Hybrid Sunfish 200 3.0"
Aug 25, 1993 Bluegill 711 3.6"
Aug 24, 1993 Bluegill 765 3.6"
Aug 20, 1993 Bluegill 486 3.6"
Aug 28, 1992 Bluegill 178 3.5"
Aug 28, 1992 Pumpkinseed 129 3.5"
Jul 31, 1991 Bluegill 207 4.0"

* Records shown are from our database. For the most current data, visit the Michigan DNR directly.

📅 Stocking Forecast

Based on 7 historical stocking events at this lake. Next likely stocking window: Apr.
Peak Stocking Months
Aug Jul Apr
Most Stocked Species
Bluegill Pumpkinseed Hybrid Sunfish

* Forecast is based on historical DNR data and is not a guarantee of future stocking.

⚓ Little Traverse Lake Boat Launches

No launch data on record for this lake. Browse all Michigan boat launches.

💡 Angler Tips for Little Traverse Lake

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🌤 Current Little Traverse Lake Weather Conditions

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🔗 Resources

📋 DNR Stocking Database 📖 Michigan Fishing Guide (PDF) 🗺 View on Map 📍 Google Maps 🎣 Log a catch here