Best cisco (lake herring) lakes in Michigan
9 Michigan waters hold cisco (lake herring), 9 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.
- Charlevoix, Lake — 122 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Crappie
- Elk Lake — 150 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Rainbow Trout, Yellow Perch
- Duck Lake — 98 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
- Corey Lake — 70 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
- Ann, Lake — 75 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
- Green Lake — 60 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
- Twin Lake (north) — 73 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
- Birch Lake — 80 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
- Hemlock Lake — 60 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, Bluegill
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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