Best lake sturgeon lakes in Michigan
10 Michigan waters hold lake sturgeon, 10 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. A living fossil and the biggest fish in the north country — a bottom-feeding giant managed as a trophy, mostly catch-and-release fishery.
- Otsego Lake — 23 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike
- Sixteen, Lake — 6 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
- Pike Lake — 51 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Sauger, Bluegill
- Roland Lake — 22 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch, Rock Bass
- Calumet Lake — 10 ft max · survey depth data · Yellow Perch, Lake Sturgeon
- Osmun Lake — 10 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Bluegill
- Devereaux Lake — 20 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
- Thirteenmile Lake — 36 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Sauger, Crappie
- Perrault, Lake — 38 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Sauger, Crappie
- Toivola Lake (West) — 40 ft max · survey depth data · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Sauger, Bluegill
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When to fish lake sturgeon in Michigan
- Spring 3–15 ft — Spawning runs stack fish below rapids, dam faces and river mouths — check the regs, many runs are closed water.
- Summer 15–40 ft — Soft-bottom flats and holes near current — sturgeon vacuum larvae and snails off the mud, mostly after dark.
- Fall 15–45 ft — The prime rod-and-reel season — fish feed hard on deep mud and channel bends before winter.
- Winter 20–60 ft — Fish pod up over deep mud basins — the famous Winnebago spear season happens over exactly this pattern.
Also in Michigan: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best white bass lakes · best sauger lakes · best northern pike lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best muskellunge lakes · best yellow perch lakes · best freshwater drum lakes · best common carp lakes · best longnose gar lakes · best chinook salmon lakes · best coho salmon lakes · best steelhead lakes · best lake trout lakes · best brown trout lakes · best brook trout lakes · best lake whitefish lakes · best burbot lakes · best rock bass lakes · best white perch lakes · best cisco (lake herring) lakes · best splake lakes · best pumpkinseed lakes · best brown bullhead lakes