Catch Huge Panfish? Here’s Where The Mi State Records Were Caught

If you love to catch and eat panfish and you like them big, here is where the Michigan state records were caught.

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Panfishing in Michigan

Whether you are sitting on the dock with grandpa, or out on the ice, catching panfish is always a blast. They are great to eat that is why they get referred to as panfish but catching big ones is a challenge for all Michigan anglers. The best part of pan fishing is, you don't need fancy tackle, a $30,000 boat, or a degree in marine biology, all you need is patience and a good spot.

Here's Where the Michigan State Record Panfish Were Caught

Biggest Michigan Bluegill

Ah, my favorite big bluegill. You can find bluegill in just about every water source in the state of Michigan. Finding big ones can be a little tougher but so worth it when you do.

The record bluegill for Michigan weighed in at 2.75 pounds and was 13.75 inches long. Now that's a hog. It was caught in 1983 while baitcasting using a spinner on Vaughn Lake located in Alcona County.

Biggest Michigan Black Crappie

You get a lot of meat from black crappie and they can get pretty big with thick filets and that is why anglers call them slabs.

The record black crappie for Michigan was landed in 1947 and weighed in at 4.12 pounds. Those had to be some giant slabs on that giant. The length was recorded but odds are that fish was around the 18 inches mark. Not sure how it was caught but it was caught in Kent County on Lincoln Lake. Looks like my son and I have a lake nearby to do some crappie fishing.

Biggest Michigan Yellow Perch

Yellow perch is another fish found in just about every lake, river, and stream in the state of Michigan. There are lots of them but big ones are not as easy to locate but there are here.

Michigan's record yellow perch was a massive 21 inches long and this is as big as a decent walleye. It only weighed 3.75 pounds when it was caught in 1947. To catch this perch's grandfish, you are gonna have to drive to the Upper Peninsula to catch some of these yellow bellies on Lake Independence in Marquette.

Biggest Michigan Redear Sunfish

Redear sunfish are often mistaken for bluegills and are usually called sunfish. They are just another type of fish in the bluegill family but seem to get thicker than bluegill when they are smaller and can't get pretty thick and big in the Mitten's waters.

The record redear sunfish was caught in Michigan in Calhoun County on Lyon Lake back in 2010. This sunfish was caught the old-fashioned way, hook, and worm. This beastie panfish weighed in at 2.36 pounds and just a hair under 13 inches at 12.6 inches in length.

White crappie is really no different than black crappie other than they are lighter in color. White crappie can get really big and are a whole lot of fun to reel in.

Biggest Michigan White Crappie

In my experience, there are more black crappies than white crappies in Michigan waters but if caught through the ice or in the early spring on minnows they can be absolutely delicious right out of the frying pan or deep fryer.

Michigan's state record for white crappie was caught in 2000 spin casting on a lake I used to bass fish outside of Detroit in Macomb County on Stony Creek Lake. It is a great lake to fish and really easy to get around and find the fish. The record white crappie weighed in at 3.39 pounds and was 19.5 inches long. Holy slabbage!

White perch are just like yellow perch, just lighter in color but just as tasty. You don't have to go far in West Michigan to find these bad boys because Bear Lake in Muskegon is full of them.

Bear Lake is where the state record for white perch was caught. The record weighed 2 pounds and was 13.57 inches long. It was caught baitcasting a spinner in 2015.

If you would like to know other state record fish and where they were caught in Michigan click here.

Now let's go break some records!