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Best cisco (lake herring) lakes in Michigan

242 Michigan waters list cisco (lake herring) (official records or labelled estimates), 242 mapped with survey or official-chart depth data. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality, leading with the waters in our reviewed search catalog — 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 · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, CrappieWhy #1: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 6 public access sites
2. Mullett Lake — 120 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #2: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 11 public access sites
3. Mullett Lake — 120 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Rainbow TroutWhy #3: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 3 public access sites
4. Elk Lake — 150 ft max · real survey depth contours · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Rainbow Trout, Yellow PerchWhy #4: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
5. Brevoort Lake — 26 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #5: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
6. Duck Lake — 98 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #6: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
7. Corey Lake — 70 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, BluegillWhy #7: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
8. Long Lake — 84 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #8: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
9. Pine Lake — 90 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #9: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 5 public access sites
10. Green Lake — 60 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, BluegillWhy #10: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
11. Avalon Lake — 74 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, BluegillWhy #11: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
12. Twin Lake (north) — 73 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, BluegillWhy #12: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
13. Shavehead Lake — 70 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie, BluegillWhy #13: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
14. Thousand Island Lake — 40 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #14: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 2 public access sites
15. Loon Lake — 73 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #15: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
16. Otter Lake — 29 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #16: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
17. Cedar Island Lake — 72 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #17: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
18. Fish Lake — 50 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #18: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site, 1 carry-in or shore-oriented
19. Bird Lake — 64 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #19: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
20. Wabascon Lake — 45 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #20: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
21. Bush Lake — 47 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #21: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
22. Osterhout Lake — 30 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #22: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · no verified access record attached
23. Blue Lake — 80 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #23: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
24. Bishop Lake — 54 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, CrappieWhy #24: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site
25. Independence Lake — 30 ft max · real survey depth contours · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern PikeWhy #25: survey-backed contours receive the ranking's data-quality boost · 1 public access site

…plus 217 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