Klinger Lake Depth Map & Fishing Spots (MI)

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Lake depth chart

Klinger Lake, MI

Max 70 ft

Today's read

Where to start

Fall shiner run window is on — see the hatch outlook

Hatch outlook

Fall shiner runActive window

Typical here: Sep 1 – Oct 31 · colder nights and shortening days start the push in early September — shiners slide out of open water toward warmer shallows and run up the rivers; the Rainy River run off Lake of the Woods is the marquee version

adultdaylight for the jig bite; after dark the shiners stack under dock lights with walleyes and pike mixed right in — follow the bait, not the spot — millions of shiners move together and the predators ride with them; silver profile and flash matter

Concentrates hard but travels — the school (and the walleyes under it) can be off a river mouth one week and miles upriver the next.

Jig-and-minnow is the event's signature — a frozen emerald shiner on a 1/4 oz jig drifted along the run; silver jerkbaits and trolled crankbaits take the roaming fish; blade baits under the schools.

The event happens over river mouths and the first miles upriver, warming shallow shorelines, and rocky points where the displaced bait stacks

Fall frog migrationActive window

Typical here: Sep 25 – Nov 10 · frogs leave the marshes and sloughs for deeper wintering water as fall cools — the corroborated core is October; the funnels are the connections between marsh and main lake

adultevenings into after dark, where the marsh meets the lake — a funnel event — frogs cross from marshy shallows into the larger, deeper neighboring water and burrow into the soft bottom; fish the crossing, not the marsh

A short, place-specific buffet: predators stage where the frog traffic crosses — inlet mouths, culverts, the marsh-to-lake throat.

A weedless hollow-body frog worked slow across the marsh mouth at dusk; after dark, a slow-rolled swimbait or a bottom rig fished right on the soft bottom off the opening.

The event happens over the throats between marshes and the main lake — inlet mouths, culvert channels, soft-bottom bays just off the weeds

Next on this water

Spring crawfish emergence · forageApr 1 – Jun 15 · in ~6 months

Bluegill spawn (bream-bed bass) · forageMay 15 – Aug 10 · in ~7 months

Hex (giant mayfly) · mayflyJun 15 – Aug 15 · in ~8 months

Recommendations come from depth structure and seasonal species behavior. Treat them as a starting point, not a guarantee. Contours here are generated from real agency depth surveys; use the survey badge for the provider, dataset, datum and measured coverage. Never use for navigation. Always check local regulations.

Depth · ft

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Recent catches at Klinger Lake

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Fishing Klinger Lake: what the data says

831-acre lake near Sturgis. The lake tops out around 70 ft. The depth chart comes from published agency bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled. The rest of this page walks each species through its year, using the map's own scoring.

Traced from the shoreline, Klinger Lake runs 836 acres with 4.9 miles of edge. Nearly circular (index 1.2), so the story is the bottom, not the bank. The shallow band under 15 ft claims about 54% of the surface — that's where the groceries are. Figure 1.8 mi of water from one end to the other, 1.1 mi at the beam. The water lies in St. Joseph County. The nearest mapped water is Tamarack Lake, 1 mi to the east.

Largemouth Bass fishing at Klinger Lake

In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. Old creek channel is the standout, a creek channel at roughly 20 ft, rated prime for winter largemouth bass. Time it for early morning and the evening. You won't need more than a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait most summer days.

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	open water	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	Old creek channel (20 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Smallmouth Bass fishing at Klinger Lake

Spring puts smallmouth bass in skinny water — 3 to 12 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 10 to 30 ft, wintering in 20 to 45 ft. Winter smallmouth bass concentrate at Break off the point, a prime-rated drop-off around 46 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig covers the summer program.

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	Old creek channel (20 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 (46 ft)	Blade bait, Hair jig

Bluegill fishing at Klinger Lake

The spring pattern is a shallow one: bluegill in 1 to 6 ft. As the season builds they drop to 4 to 15 ft, wintering in 10 to 25 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in the 1 ft range, prime in spring. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig gets it done.

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 bay flat (1 ft)	Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig
Fall	6 to 18 ft	midday	Shallow bay flat (1 ft)	Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped
Winter	10 to 25 ft	midday	open water	Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon

Yellow Perch fishing at Klinger Lake

Spring yellow perch on Klinger Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 10 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 35 ft. The chart's best answer is Shallow bay flat — weed flat, 1 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in early morning. The summer box starts with a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 12 ft	midday & dawn	Shallow bay flat (1 ft)	Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank
Summer	10 to 30 ft	dawn	Shallow bay flat (1 ft)	Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm
Fall	12 to 35 ft	midday	Break off the point (46 ft)	Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday & dawn	open water	Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small)

Walleye fishing at Klinger Lake

Early season walleye use the shallows, holding in 4 to 15 ft. Summer is a 15 to 35 ft game here, winter a 20 to 40 ft one. The chart's best answer is Old creek channel — creek channel, 20 ft, prime for fall. Best bite is the evening and early morning. Tie on a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	4 to 15 ft	dusk & dawn	Sherman Mill Creek inflow (1 ft)	1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig
Summer	15 to 35 ft	dusk & dawn	Old creek channel (20 ft)	Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled)
Fall	12 to 40 ft	dusk & night	Old creek channel (20 ft)	Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow
Winter	20 to 40 ft	dusk & dawn	Old creek channel (20 ft)	Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait

Cisco (Lake Herring) fishing at Klinger Lake

When the water first warms, cisco (lake herring) slide up into 10 to 40 ft. By summer they slide out to 21 to 70 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 60 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 70 ft that scores prime in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Keep a vertical flutter spoon (small) or a drop-shot micro plastic rigged through the warm months.

Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	10 to 40 ft	dawn & dusk	Break off the point (46 ft)	Small silver spoon, Tiny swim jig (white)
Summer	21 to 70 ft chart-limited; documented 40 to 80 ft	dawn	Deep basin (70 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 (70 ft)	Small jigging spoon (glow/silver), Tungsten jig + minnow head

Klinger Lake also holds northern pike (8 to 20 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.

Notable structure

The chart marks 9 structure features on Klinger Lake; the deepest is Deep basin at about 70 ft.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 70 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 46 ft
Old creek channel: creek channel, around 20 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 1 ft
Secondary point: point, around 1 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 1 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 1 ft
Marina / dock area: dock line, around 1 ft
Sherman Mill Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 1 ft

Public access & boat ramps

Klinger Lake

Access data: Michigan DNR — Michigan Boating Access Sites. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.

Klinger Lake stocking report

Date	Species	Count	Size
Jun 2	Walleye	41,380	~3.5"

Source: Michigan DNR fish-stocking database, retrieved 2026-09-23.

Klinger Lake fishing regulations

Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Michigan waters are set by the Michigan DNR — and special regulations can apply to Klinger Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Michigan fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Klinger Lake?

Klinger Lake is about 70 ft (21 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.

What fish are in Klinger Lake?

Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, bluegill, yellow perch, walleye, cisco (lake herring), northern pike on Klinger Lake.

Where is the best fishing spot on Klinger Lake?

Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 1 ft of water that rates prime for bluegill in spring. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.

When is the best time to fish Klinger 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.

Is Klinger Lake stocked with fish?

Yes — per Michigan DNR fish-stocking database records, Klinger Lake was most recently stocked Jun 2 with 41,380 walleye. The full stocking history is listed above.

What are the fishing regulations for Klinger Lake?

Fishing on Klinger 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.

Nearby waters

Tamarack Lake 1 mi · Aldrich Lake 3 mi · Thompson Lake 3 mi · Marl Lake 4 mi · Minnewaukan Lake 5 mi · Omena Lake 7 mi · North Twin Lake 7 mi, IN · South Twin Lake 7 mi, IN · Prairie River Lake 8 mi · Hunter Lake 9 mi, IN · Shipshewana Lake 9 mi, IN · Sand Lake 9 mi

See how Klinger Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Michigan · best smallmouth bass lakes in Michigan · best walleye lakes in Michigan · best northern pike lakes in Michigan

More water nearby: St. Joseph County fishing maps (21 charts). Browse all Michigan fishing maps. 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.