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Fishing Bertha Lake: what the data says
94-acre lake near Clare County. The lake tops out around 17 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. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Yellow Perch fishing at Bertha Lake
In spring, yellow perch run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 5 to 17 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 17 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 16 ft that scores prime in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Summer baits: a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 5 to 17 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 5 to 17 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 5 to 17 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Northern Pike fishing at Bertha Lake
Start shallow in spring: northern pike sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 5 to 17 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 15 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for northern pike in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 5 to 17 ft | dawn & dusk | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 5 to 17 ft | midday & dawn | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Bertha Lake
In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 5 to 17 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 17 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 2 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 5 to 17 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 5 to 17 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Rock Bass fishing at Bertha Lake
Spring rock bass on Bertha Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 4 to 17 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 17 ft. The spot to know is Main-lake point, a point in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for rock bass in summer. Plan around the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a ned rig (small) or a marabou jig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + grub, Small inline spinner |
| Summer | 4 to 17 ft | dusk | Ned rig (small), Marabou jig |
| Fall | 5 to 17 ft | midday | Small tube jig, Inline spinner |
| Winter | 5 to 17 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + plastic, Small spoon + spike |
Crappie fishing at Bertha Lake
In spring, crappie run shallow here, mostly 2 to 8 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 5 to 17 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 17 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 16 ft, rated prime for winter crappie. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 5 to 17 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 5 to 17 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 5 to 17 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Bluegill fishing at Bertha Lake
Start shallow in spring: bluegill sit in 1 to 6 ft that time of year. They move out to 4 to 15 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 17 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 2 ft, rated prime for spring bluegill. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 5 to 17 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 5 to 17 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Bertha Lake also holds pumpkinseed (2 to 10 ft in summer), brown bullhead (3 to 12 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 16 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 7 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 4 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 3 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Bertha Lake?
Bertha Lake is about 17 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 Bertha Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, northern pike, crappie, bluegill, yellow perch, rock bass, pumpkinseed, brown bullhead on Bertha Lake. This isn't a survey of the lake — none is on record for it — but an informed estimate from the species listed for the nearest surveyed lakes in the region, filtered to this lake's depth and habitat.
Where is the best fishing spot on Bertha Lake?
Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 16 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in fall. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Bertha Lake?
For yellow perch, the summer bite is best in early morning. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
George, Lake · Lily Lake · Half Moon Lake · Silver Lake · Loon Lake · Mill Pond
See how Bertha Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Michigan · best northern pike 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.