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443,969-acre section. Ludington to Muskegon: the heart of the Michigan salmon fleet. Kings on the temperature breaks all summer, browns tight to the bank in spring. The lake tops out around 485 ft. The depth chart is built from real NOAA hydrographic survey soundings, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. The rest of this page walks each species through its year, using the map's own scoring.
Spring puts chinook salmon in skinny water — 5 to 40 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 50 to 120 ft, wintering in 30 to 90 ft. Spring chinook salmon concentrate at Pere Marquette Lake channel, a prime-rated inflow / creek mouth around 1 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A flasher + fly (green/white) or a magnum spoon on downrigger covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Pere Marquette Lake channel (1 ft) | Trolled spoon (orange/gold), Stickbait off planer boards |
| Summer | 50 to 120 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (81 ft) | Flasher + fly (green/white), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | dawn & dusk | Pere Marquette Lake channel (1 ft) | J-plug (glow), Flasher + fly |
| Winter | 30 to 90 ft | midday | Sharp break (81 ft) | Small spoon on a slow troll, Stickbait deep |
Start shallow in spring: coho salmon sit in 3 to 25 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 30 to 70 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 60 ft. The spot to know is Pere Marquette Lake channel, an inflow / creek mouth in about 1 ft of water that rates prime for coho salmon in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a dodger + fly or a medium spoon above the thermocline until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Pere Marquette Lake channel (1 ft) | Small orange dodger + peanut fly, Thin spoon (orange/silver) |
| Summer | 30 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | Offshore hump (35 ft) | Dodger + fly, Medium spoon above the thermocline |
| Fall | 8 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Pere Marquette Lake channel (1 ft) | Casting spoon, Spinner (chartreuse) |
| Winter | 20 to 60 ft | midday | Deep hole (1 ft) | Small spoon, slow troll |
Come spring, look for steelhead tight to the bank in 3 to 20 ft. They move out to 5 to 45 ft in summer and finish the year down in 4 to 15 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep hole: a deep basin around 1 ft that scores prime in summer. Best bite is early morning and the evening. An orange dodger + fly high in the column or a thin spoon off boards is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Pere Marquette Lake channel (1 ft) | Small spoon or spinner at the mouths, Jig + waxworm under float |
| Summer | 5 to 45 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep hole (1 ft) | Orange dodger + fly high in the column, Thin spoon off boards |
| Fall | 5 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Pere Marquette Lake channel (1 ft) | Spinner (silver/blue), Casting spoon |
| Winter | 4 to 15 ft | midday | Pere Marquette Lake channel (1 ft) | Float jig (black/purple), Bead rig |
In spring, lake trout run shallow here, mostly 10 to 40 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 50 to 120 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 80 ft. Offshore hump is the standout, an offshore hump at roughly 93 ft, rated prime for summer lake trout. Time it for early morning. You won't need more than a white tube jig (deep) or a magnum spoon on downrigger most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Offshore hump (35 ft) | Casting spoon over shoals, Jerkbait (shallow) |
| Summer | 50 to 120 ft | dawn | Offshore hump (93 ft) | White tube jig (deep), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | dusk & dawn | Offshore hump (35 ft) | Heavy casting spoon, Jigging rap over reefs |
| Winter | 20 to 80 ft | dawn | Offshore hump (35 ft) | White tube jig, Airplane jig |
When the water first warms, brown trout slide up into 3 to 25 ft. Summer is a 25 to 60 ft game here, winter a 5 to 35 ft one. Start at Pere Marquette Lake channel. It's an inflow / creek mouth holding about 1 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run after dark and early morning. Keep a spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night) rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Pere Marquette Lake channel (1 ft) | Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | night & dawn | Offshore hump (35 ft) | Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night) |
| Fall | 5 to 30 ft | dusk & dawn | Pere Marquette Lake channel (1 ft) | Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon |
| Winter | 5 to 35 ft | dawn | Pere Marquette Lake channel (1 ft) | Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow) |
Spring lake whitefish on Lake Michigan - Michigan Central Shore hold shallow, usually 15 to 45 ft. By summer they slide out to 40 to 90 ft, and by winter most fish are in 25 to 70 ft. The chart's best answer is Offshore hump — offshore hump, 45 ft, prime for summer. Prime time lands in early morning. The summer box starts with a blade bait vertical or a small jigging spoon.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 15 to 45 ft | midday & dawn | Offshore hump (35 ft) | Small jig + waxworm, Blade bait (small) |
| Summer | 40 to 90 ft | dawn | Offshore hump (45 ft) | Blade bait vertical, Small jigging spoon |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | dusk | Offshore hump (15 ft) | Small spoon (gold), Jig + plastic larva |
| Winter | 25 to 70 ft | midday & dawn | Offshore hump (35 ft) | Jigging spoon + bead chain, Tungsten jig + waxie |
57 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deepest basin, around 451 ft, is the deepest of them.
Access data: Michigan DNR — Michigan Boating Access Sites. 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 Lake Michigan - Michigan Central Shore specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Michigan fishing regulations →
Lake Michigan - Michigan Central Shore is about 485 ft (148 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real NOAA hydrographic surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
Anglers target chinook salmon, coho salmon, steelhead, lake trout, brown trout, lake whitefish on Lake Michigan - Michigan Central Shore.
Pere Marquette Lake channel is the top-rated area: an inflow / creek mouth in about 1 ft of water that rates prime for coho salmon in spring. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.
For chinook salmon, 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 Lake Michigan - Michigan Central Shore 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.
Stony Lake 2 mi · Crystal Lake 6 mi · Silver Lake (Dunes) 7 mi · Wyckoff Lake 9 mi · Hart Lake 10 mi · White Lake 13 mi · Britton Lake 15 mi · Campbell Lake 18 mi · Bass Lake 18 mi · Twin Lake (west) 19 mi · Twin Lake (east) 20 mi · Black Lake 20 mi
See how Lake Michigan - Michigan Central Shore stacks up: best chinook salmon lakes in Michigan · best coho salmon lakes in Michigan · best steelhead lakes in Michigan · best lake trout lakes in Michigan
More water nearby: Oceana County fishing maps (11 charts). Browse all Michigan fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA hydrographic surveys. 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.