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Rating depth structure for largemouth bass.
Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.
30-acre lake near Grand Traverse County. The lake tops out around 39 ft. The depth chart comes from published agency bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
The outline encloses 32 acres, worked by 1 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 31% of the surface — that's where the groceries are. The basin spans about 0.3 mi end to end and 0.3 mi across at its widest. Grand Traverse County claims this one. If the bite dies, Tonawanda Lake is 2 mi to the northeast.
Spring brook trout on Bridge Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 15 ft. They move out to 10 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 3 to 20 ft. Put Break off the point first on the milk run — a drop-off near 26 ft that grades prime for summer. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a small spoon fished deep or a trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (9 ft) | Small inline spinner (gold), Tiny spoon |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (26 ft) | Small spoon fished deep, Trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm |
| Fall | 2 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (9 ft) | Small spoon (orange), Spinner |
| Winter | 3 to 20 ft | dawn | Break off the point (26 ft) | Small jigging spoon, Tungsten jig + plastic |
Early season rainbow trout use the shallows, holding in 5 to 20 ft. Summer is an 8 to 30 ft game here, winter an 8 to 39 ft one. The chart's best answer is Break off the point — drop-off, 26 ft, prime for winter. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (9 ft) | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (26 ft) | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (9 ft) | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 8 to 39 ft | dawn | Break off the point (26 ft) | Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white) |
Spring puts brown trout in skinny water — 3 to 25 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 12 to 39 ft, wintering in 5 to 35 ft. Summer brown trout concentrate at Break off the point, a prime-rated drop-off around 26 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around after dark and early morning. A spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (9 ft) | Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines |
| Summer | 12 to 39 ft | night & dawn | Break off the point (26 ft) | Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night) |
| Fall | 5 to 30 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (9 ft) | Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon |
| Winter | 5 to 35 ft | dawn | Break off the point (26 ft) | Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow) |
When the water first warms, chinook salmon slide up into 5 to 39 ft. There's no big seasonal slide here — summer means 12 to 39 ft, winter 12 to 39 ft. Start at Deep basin. It's a deep basin holding about 38 ft of water and rates prime come summer. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a flasher + fly (green/white) or a magnum spoon on downrigger rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 39 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (26 ft) | Trolled spoon (orange/gold), Stickbait off planer boards |
| Summer | 12 to 39 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep basin (38 ft) | Flasher + fly (green/white), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 8 to 39 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (26 ft) | J-plug (glow), Flasher + fly |
| Winter | 12 to 39 ft | midday | Deep basin (38 ft) | Small spoon on a slow troll, Stickbait deep |
When the water first warms, coho salmon slide up into 3 to 25 ft. By summer they slide out to 12 to 39 ft, and by winter most fish are in 12 to 39 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 38 ft that scores prime in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a dodger + fly or a medium spoon above the thermocline rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (9 ft) | Small orange dodger + peanut fly, Thin spoon (orange/silver) |
| Summer | 12 to 39 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep basin (38 ft) | Dodger + fly, Medium spoon above the thermocline |
| Fall | 8 to 39 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (9 ft) | Casting spoon, Spinner (chartreuse) |
| Winter | 12 to 39 ft | midday | Deep basin (38 ft) | Small spoon, slow troll |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: cisco (lake herring) in 10 to 39 ft. The depth story barely changes: 12 to 39 ft through summer, 12 to 39 ft in winter. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 38 ft of water that rates prime for cisco (lake herring) in spring. Plan around early morning in the warm months. 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 39 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep basin (38 ft) | Small silver spoon, Tiny swim jig (white) |
| Summer | 12 to 39 ft | dawn | Deep basin (38 ft) | Vertical flutter spoon (small), Drop-shot micro plastic |
| Fall | 5 to 25 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (26 ft) | Small casting spoon, Inline spinner (silver) |
| Winter | 12 to 39 ft | dawn | Deep basin (38 ft) | Small jigging spoon (glow/silver), Tungsten jig + minnow head |
Bridge Lake also holds yellow perch (10 to 30 ft in summer), smallmouth bass (10 to 30 ft in summer), largemouth bass (8 to 20 ft in summer), rock bass (5 to 20 ft in summer), bluegill (4 to 15 ft in summer), 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.
Bridge Lake carries 3 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 38 ft down.
Access data: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) — community-mapped launches. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Michigan waters are set by the Michigan DNR — and special regulations can apply to Bridge Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Michigan fishing regulations →
Bridge Lake is about 39 ft (12 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart comes from published agency bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled.
Anglers target brook trout, rainbow trout, brown trout, chinook salmon, coho salmon, cisco (lake herring), yellow perch, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, rock bass, bluegill, pumpkinseed, brown bullhead on Bridge 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.
Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 38 ft of water that rates prime for chinook salmon in summer. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.
For brook trout, 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 Bridge 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.
Tonawanda Lake 2 mi · Green Lake 2 mi · Cedar Hedge Lake 2 mi · Duck Lake 2 mi · Ellis Lake 2 mi · Bass Lake 3 mi · Bass Lake 5 mi · Long Lake 6 mi · Bellows Lake 6 mi · Bronson Lake 6 mi · Turtle Lake 6 mi · Lake Ann 6 mi
See how Bridge Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Michigan · best smallmouth bass lakes in Michigan · best bluegill lakes in Michigan · best rainbow trout lakes in Michigan
More water nearby: Grand Traverse County fishing maps (23 charts). Browse all Michigan fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry: published agency survey data. 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.