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Fishing Fish Lake: what the data says
31-acre lake near Van Buren County. The lake tops out around 20 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. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
Yellow Perch fishing at Fish Lake
Spring yellow perch on Fish Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 6 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 6 to 20 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 20 ft that scores prime in fall. 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 | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 6 to 20 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 6 to 20 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 6 to 20 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Northern Pike fishing at Fish Lake
Start shallow in spring: northern pike sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 5 to 15 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Break off the point: a drop-off around 17 ft that scores prime in fall. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Fish Lake
Start shallow in spring: smallmouth bass sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 6 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 6 to 20 ft. Main-lake point is the standout, a point at roughly 7 ft, rated prime for fall smallmouth bass. 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 | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 6 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 6 to 20 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 6 to 20 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Fish Lake
Spring largemouth bass on Fish Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 6 to 20 ft. Main-lake point is the standout, a point at roughly 7 ft, rated prime for fall largemouth bass. Best bite is 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 | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 6 to 20 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Rock Bass fishing at Fish Lake
Start shallow in spring: rock bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 5 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 6 to 20 ft. Main-lake point is the standout, a point at roughly 7 ft, rated prime for summer rock bass. 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 | 5 to 20 ft | dusk | Ned rig (small), Marabou jig |
| Fall | 6 to 20 ft | midday | Small tube jig, Inline spinner |
| Winter | 6 to 20 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + plastic, Small spoon + spike |
Crappie fishing at Fish Lake
Start shallow in spring: crappie sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 6 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 6 to 20 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 20 ft that scores prime in winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in 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 | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 6 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 6 to 20 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Fish Lake also holds bluegill (4 to 15 ft in summer), pumpkinseed (2 to 10 ft in summer), brown bullhead (3 to 12 ft in summer), common carp (3 to 15 ft in summer), longnose gar (1 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 20 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 17 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 11 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 7 ft
Common questions
How deep is Fish Lake?
Fish Lake is about 20 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 Fish Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, crappie, bluegill, yellow perch, common carp, longnose gar, rock bass, pumpkinseed, brown bullhead on Fish 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 Fish Lake?
Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 20 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 Fish 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
North Lake · Wolf Lake · Brandywine Lake · Lime Lake · Clear Lake · Ruppert Lake
See how Fish Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Michigan · best smallmouth bass lakes in Michigan · best northern pike lakes in Michigan · best crappie 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.