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Fishing Bear Lake: what the data says
209-acre lake near Houghton County. The lake tops out around 4 ft. The depth chart is built from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. Here is how the season plays out for each species, straight from the data behind the map.
Largemouth Bass fishing at Bear Lake
Spring largemouth bass on Bear Lake hold shallow, usually 1 to 4 ft. Summer fish stay in 1 to 4 ft, and winter fish hold in 1 to 4 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 4 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 1 to 4 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 1 to 4 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 1 to 4 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Bear Lake
Start shallow in spring: smallmouth bass sit in 1 to 4 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 1 to 4 ft, and winter fish hold in 1 to 4 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Main-lake point: a point around 2 ft that scores prime in fall. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 4 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 1 to 4 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 1 to 4 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 1 to 4 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Bluegill fishing at Bear Lake
Spring bluegill on Bear Lake hold shallow, usually 1 to 4 ft. Summer fish stay in 1 to 4 ft, and winter fish hold in 1 to 4 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for bluegill in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 4 ft | midday & dusk | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 1 to 4 ft | dawn & dusk | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 1 to 4 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 1 to 4 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Crappie fishing at Bear Lake
In spring, crappie run shallow here, mostly 1 to 4 ft. Summer fish stay in 1 to 4 ft, and winter fish hold in 1 to 4 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in winter. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 4 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 1 to 4 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 1 to 4 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 1 to 4 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Yellow Perch fishing at Bear Lake
In spring, yellow perch run shallow here, mostly 1 to 4 ft. Summer fish stay in 1 to 4 ft, and winter fish hold in 1 to 4 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 2 ft, rated prime for spring yellow perch. Best bite is early morning. A drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 4 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 1 to 4 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 1 to 4 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 1 to 4 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 4 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 2 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 2 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Bear Lake?
Bear Lake is about 4 ft at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
What fish are in Bear Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, bluegill, yellow perch on Bear Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Bear Lake?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Bear Lake?
For largemouth bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
Portage Lake (UP) · Mud Lake · Otter Lake · Gerald, Lake · Roland, Lake · Sturgeon River (UP)
See how Bear Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Michigan · best smallmouth bass lakes in Michigan · best crappie lakes in Michigan · best bluegill lakes in Michigan
Browse all Michigan fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.