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265-acre lake near Cass County. The lake tops out around 80 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's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
The outline encloses 284 acres, worked by 2.8 miles of shoreline. Its 1.2 shoreline index means few bank features; the contours below do the pattern work. The shallow band under 15 ft claims about 17% of the surface — that's where the groceries are. Tip to tip the water measures near 1.1 mi with a 0.8-mi widest point. It sits in Cass County. Its nearest charted neighbour, Shavehead Lake, is 2 mi to the south.
When the water first warms, largemouth bass slide up into 2 to 10 ft. Summer is an 8 to 20 ft game here, winter a 15 to 35 ft one. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a feeding flat holding about 1 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (1 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow feeding flat (13 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (1 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Break off the point (80 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Come spring, look for smallmouth bass tight to the bank in 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 10 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 45 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Main-lake point: a point around 1 ft that scores good in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (1 ft) | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (80 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (1 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Break off the point (80 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
When the water first warms, bluegill slide up into 1 to 6 ft. By summer they slide out to 4 to 15 ft, and by winter most fish are in 10 to 25 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a feeding flat around 1 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (1 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow feeding flat (13 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Shallow feeding flat (13 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Shallow feeding flat (13 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Come spring, look for crappie tight to the bank in 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 10 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow feeding flat: a feeding flat around 13 ft that scores prime in summer. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (1 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow feeding flat (13 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Shallow feeding flat (13 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Deep basin (80 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Start shallow in spring: yellow perch sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 10 to 30 ft; cold water stacks them in 15 to 35 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow feeding flat, a feeding flat in the 13 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in early morning and you'll meet the bite. Throw a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow feeding flat (13 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Shallow feeding flat (13 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 12 to 35 ft | midday | Deep basin (80 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Deep basin (80 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: cisco (lake herring) in 10 to 40 ft. As the season builds they drop to 40 to 80 ft, wintering in 20 to 60 ft. Top water on the chart: Deep basin, a deep basin in the 80 ft range, prime in summer. Time it for early morning. Summer baits: a vertical flutter spoon (small) or a drop-shot micro plastic gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep basin (80 ft) | Small silver spoon, Tiny swim jig (white) |
| Summer | 40 to 80 ft | dawn | Deep basin (80 ft) | Vertical flutter spoon (small), Drop-shot micro plastic |
| Fall | 5 to 25 ft | dusk & dawn | open water | Small casting spoon, Inline spinner (silver) |
| Winter | 20 to 60 ft | dawn | Deep basin (80 ft) | Small jigging spoon (glow/silver), Tungsten jig + minnow head |
Birch Lake carries 7 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 80 ft down.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Michigan waters are set by the Michigan DNR — and special regulations can apply to Birch Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Michigan fishing regulations →
Birch Lake is about 80 ft (24 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, bluegill, crappie, yellow perch, cisco (lake herring) on Birch Lake. This isn't a survey of the water — none is published for it — but an informed estimate from the species common to the region, narrowed by this water's depth, size and each species' range.
Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 80 ft of water that rates prime for cisco (lake herring) in summer. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
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.
Fishing on Birch Lake is regulated by the Michigan DNR. Check the official Michigan regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Shavehead Lake 2 mi · Chain Lake 2 mi · Donnell Lake 3 mi · Paradise Lake 3 mi · Bair Lake 3 mi · Robbins Lake 4 mi · Harwood Lake 6 mi · Diamond Lake 6 mi · Corey Lake 7 mi · Baldwins Lake 7 mi · Long Lake 7 mi · Long Lake 8 mi
See how Birch 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
More water nearby: Cass County fishing maps (29 charts). Browse all Michigan fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.