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631,659-acre section. Chicago to Michigan City: the spring coho run, summer perch on the breakwalls and smallmouth on the harbor riprap. The lake tops out around 258 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. Here is how the season plays out for each species, straight from the data behind the map.
The spring pattern is a shallow one: coho salmon in 3 to 25 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 30 to 70 ft before dropping to 20 to 60 ft for winter. The spot to know is Calumet Harbor breakwall, a gravel shoal in about 16 ft of water that rates prime for coho salmon in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a dodger + fly or a medium spoon above the thermocline gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Calumet Harbor breakwall (16 ft) | Small orange dodger + peanut fly, Thin spoon (orange/silver) |
| Summer | 30 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (31 ft) | Dodger + fly, Medium spoon above the thermocline |
| Fall | 8 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (17 ft) | Casting spoon, Spinner (chartreuse) |
| Winter | 20 to 60 ft | midday | Sharp break (28 ft) | Small spoon, slow troll |
In spring, chinook salmon run shallow here, mostly 5 to 40 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 50 to 120 ft before dropping to 30 to 90 ft for winter. Spring chinook salmon concentrate at Sharp break, a prime-rated drop-off around 17 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a flasher + fly (green/white) or a magnum spoon on downrigger most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (17 ft) | Trolled spoon (orange/gold), Stickbait off planer boards |
| Summer | 50 to 120 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (97 ft) | Flasher + fly (green/white), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (17 ft) | J-plug (glow), Flasher + fly |
| Winter | 30 to 90 ft | midday | Sharp break (31 ft) | Small spoon on a slow troll, Stickbait deep |
When the water first warms, steelhead slide up into 3 to 20 ft. By summer they slide out to 5 to 45 ft, and by winter most fish are 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. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep an orange dodger + fly high in the column or a thin spoon off boards rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Calumet Harbor breakwall (16 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 | Sharp break (17 ft) | Spinner (silver/blue), Casting spoon |
| Winter | 4 to 15 ft | midday | Deep hole (1 ft) | Float jig (black/purple), Bead rig |
Come spring, look for brown trout tight to the bank in 3 to 25 ft. Expect a summer slide to 25 to 60 ft, then a winter hold in 5 to 35 ft. Start at Sharp break. It's a drop-off holding about 28 ft of water and rates prime come summer. Prime time lands in after dark and early morning. A spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night) is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Calumet Harbor breakwall (16 ft) | Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | night & dawn | Sharp break (28 ft) | Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night) |
| Fall | 5 to 30 ft | dusk & dawn | Calumet Harbor breakwall (16 ft) | Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon |
| Winter | 5 to 35 ft | dawn | Sharp break (17 ft) | Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow) |
Come spring, look for yellow perch tight to the bank in 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 10 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Sharp break: a drop-off around 17 ft that scores prime in summer. Best bite is early morning. A drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Navy Pier breakwater (1 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Sharp break (17 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 12 to 35 ft | midday | Sharp break (17 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Offshore hump (24 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Start shallow in spring: smallmouth bass sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 10 to 30 ft; cold water stacks them in 20 to 45 ft. Top water on the chart: Rock reef, a rock pile in the 6 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Rock reef (6 ft) | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Rock reef (19 ft) | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Rock reef (19 ft) | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Sharp break (28 ft) | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Structure-wise the chart holds 106 features, led in depth by Deepest basin at roughly 172 ft.
Access data: Indiana DNR — Fishing Access Sites. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Illinois waters are set by the Illinois DNR — and special regulations can apply to Lake Michigan - Illinois and Indiana Shore specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Illinois fishing regulations →
Lake Michigan - Illinois and Indiana Shore is about 258 ft (79 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real NOAA hydrographic surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
Anglers target coho salmon, chinook salmon, steelhead, brown trout, yellow perch, smallmouth bass on Lake Michigan - Illinois and Indiana Shore.
Rock reef is the top-rated area: a rock pile in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in spring. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.
For coho 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 - Illinois and Indiana Shore is regulated by the Illinois DNR. Check the official Illinois regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
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See how Lake Michigan - Illinois and Indiana Shore stacks up: best smallmouth bass lakes in Illinois · best yellow perch lakes in Illinois
Browse all Illinois 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.