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Best cisco (lake herring) lakes in Michigan

228 Michigan waters hold cisco (lake herring), 228 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. Pelagic coldwater herring — suspends over deep basins chasing plankton, spawns on late-fall shoals, and shines as a winter ice target.

1. Lake Charlevoix — 122 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, CrappieWhy #1: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 6 public access sites
2. Elk Lake — 150 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Rainbow Trout, Yellow PerchWhy #2: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
3. Brevoort Lake — 26 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #3: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
4. Duck Lake — 98 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, BluegillWhy #4: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
5. Corey Lake — 70 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, BluegillWhy #5: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
6. Pine Lake — 90 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #6: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 5 public access sites
7. Green Lake — 60 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, BluegillWhy #7: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
8. Twin Lake (north) — 73 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, BluegillWhy #8: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
9. Long Lake — 50 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #9: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
10. Bird Lake — 64 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #10: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
11. Cranberry Lake — 32 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #11: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
12. Wabascon Lake — 45 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #12: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
13. Big Cedar Lake — 35 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #13: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
14. Bush Lake — 47 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #14: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
15. Osterhout Lake — 30 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #15: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
16. Blue Lake — 80 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #16: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
17. Bishop Lake — 54 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #17: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
18. Ben-way Lake — 42 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #18: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
19. Independence Lake — 30 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #19: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
20. Wilkinson Lake — 45 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #20: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
21. Goose Lake — 60 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, White Bass, Northern PikeWhy #21: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
22. Drum Lake — 30 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, BluegillWhy #22: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
23. Otter Lake — 70 ft max · survey depth data · Cisco (Lake Herring)Why #23: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 18 public access sites
24. Winans Lake — 54 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #24: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
25. Bunker Lake — 58 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #25: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached

…plus 203 more Michigan waters holding cisco (lake herring).

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When to fish cisco (lake herring) in Michigan

• Spring 10–40 ft — Post-ice-out schools roam the upper column over deep water — follow the bait clouds on the graph, not the bank.
• Summer 40–80 ft — Locked below the thermocline, suspended over the deepest basins. Vertical presentations at the school's exact depth or nothing.
• Fall 5–25 ft — The late-fall spawn puts silver schools on shallow gravel shoals and windswept rock — the one time they're everyone's fish.
• Winter 20–60 ft — A premier ice species — suspended schools cruise the basin mid-column. Watch the flasher and chase the marks.

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Cisco (Lake Herring) elsewhere: Ontario · Minnesota · British Columbia · Québec · Germany · New York · Saskatchewan · Alberta · Manitoba