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410,179-acre section. The Lake Michigan side of the Door Peninsula from Algoma up through Baileys Harbor to Washington Island: some of the clearest water and best smallmouth reefs in the Midwest, with a strong salmon and brown-trout troll. The lake tops out around 424 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.
Traced from the shoreline, Lake Michigan - Door County runs 391,459 acres with 220.9 miles of edge, with 7 islands in the mix. An index of 2.5 puts the bank firmly in maze territory: point after pocket after cove, every one a casting target. Littoral water — the productive band under ~15 ft — makes up 8% of this chart. The basin spans about 63.3 mi end to end and 19.5 mi across at its widest. For a second option, Kangaroo Lake lies 2 mi northwest.
Spring puts smallmouth bass in skinny water — 3 to 12 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 10 to 30 ft; cold water stacks them in 20 to 45 ft. Rock reef is the standout, a rock pile at roughly 10 ft, rated prime for spring smallmouth bass. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. 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 | Rock reef (10 ft) | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Rock reef (10 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Shoreline point (8 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Rock reef (42 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
The spring pattern is a shallow one: chinook salmon in 5 to 40 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 50 to 120 ft before dropping to 30 to 90 ft for winter. The spot to know is Sharp break, a drop-off in about 87 ft of water that rates prime for chinook salmon in summer. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a flasher + fly (green/white) or a magnum spoon on downrigger gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (1 ft) | Trolled spoon (orange/gold), Stickbait off planer boards |
| Summer | 50 to 120 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (87 ft) | Flasher + fly (green/white), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | dawn & dusk | Shoreline point (17 ft) | J-plug (glow), Flasher + fly |
| Winter | 30 to 90 ft | midday | Sharp break (87 ft) | Small spoon on a slow troll, Stickbait deep |
Early season brown trout use the shallows, holding in 3 to 25 ft. Expect a summer slide to 25 to 60 ft, then a winter hold in 5 to 35 ft. Put Sharp break first on the milk run — a drop-off near 62 ft that grades prime for summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and early morning. Tie on a spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Shoreline point (5 ft) | Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | night & dawn | Sharp break (62 ft) | Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night) |
| Fall | 5 to 30 ft | dusk & dawn | Rock reef (10 ft) | Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon |
| Winter | 5 to 35 ft | dawn | Sharp break (1 ft) | Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow) |
Start shallow in spring: lake trout sit in 10 to 40 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 50 to 120 ft; cold water stacks them in 20 to 80 ft. Top water on the chart: Rock reef, a rock pile in the 42 ft range, prime in fall. Fish it in early morning and you'll meet the bite. Throw a white tube jig (deep) or a magnum spoon on downrigger until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Rock reef (10 ft) | Casting spoon over shoals, Jerkbait (shallow) |
| Summer | 50 to 120 ft | dawn | Offshore hump (91 ft) | White tube jig (deep), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | dusk & dawn | Rock reef (42 ft) | Heavy casting spoon, Jigging rap over reefs |
| Winter | 20 to 80 ft | dawn | Offshore hump (70 ft) | White tube jig, Airplane jig |
When the water first warms, lake whitefish slide up into 15 to 45 ft. Summer is a 40 to 90 ft game here, winter a 25 to 70 ft one. Start at Rock reef. It's a rock pile holding about 10 ft of water and rates prime come fall. The feeding windows run early morning. Keep a blade bait vertical or a small jigging spoon rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 15 to 45 ft | midday & dawn | Rock reef (42 ft) | Small jig + waxworm, Blade bait (small) |
| Summer | 40 to 90 ft | dawn | Offshore hump (70 ft) | Blade bait vertical, Small jigging spoon |
| Fall | 8 to 30 ft | dusk | Rock reef (10 ft) | Small spoon (gold), Jig + plastic larva |
| Winter | 25 to 70 ft | midday & dawn | Offshore hump (70 ft) | Jigging spoon + bead chain, Tungsten jig + waxie |
Spring puts northern pike in skinny water — 2 to 8 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 8 to 20 ft; cold water stacks them in 5 to 15 ft. Feeding flat is the standout, a feeding flat at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for spring northern pike. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Feeding flat (6 ft) | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Feeding flat (13 ft) | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Shoreline point (8 ft) | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Feeding flat (6 ft) | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Lake Michigan - Door County also holds yellow perch (10 to 30 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
64 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deepest basin, around 379 ft, is the deepest of them.
Access data: Wisconsin DNR — Boat Access Sites. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Wisconsin waters are set by the Wisconsin DNR — and special regulations can apply to Lake Michigan - Door County specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Wisconsin fishing regulations →
Lake Michigan - Door County is about 424 ft (129 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real NOAA hydrographic surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
Anglers target smallmouth bass, chinook salmon, brown trout, lake trout, lake whitefish, northern pike, yellow perch on Lake Michigan - Door County.
Rock reef is the top-rated area: a rock pile in about 10 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in spring. The map above holds the full rated-spot list for every species and season.
For smallmouth 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 Lake Michigan - Door County is regulated by the Wisconsin DNR. Check the official Wisconsin regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Kangaroo Lake 2 mi · Mud Lake 6 mi · Clark Lake 7 mi · Mackaysee Lake 16 mi · Bradley Lake 17 mi · Europe Lake 19 mi · Lake Michigan - Green Bay South 26 mi · Scott Flowage, Lower 26 mi, WI/MI · Upper Scott Flowage 4060 27 mi, WI/MI · Peshtigo River 28 mi · Little Lake 28 mi · Forestville Flowage 29 mi
See how Lake Michigan - Door County stacks up: best smallmouth bass lakes in Wisconsin · best northern pike lakes in Wisconsin · best yellow perch lakes in Wisconsin · best lake trout lakes in Wisconsin
Browse all Wisconsin 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.