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476,503-acre section. St. Joseph to Grand Haven: early-season coho and kings close to shore, steelhead on the offshore scum lines in summer. The lake tops out around 278 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's the year, species by species, as the scoring engine sees it.
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 St. Joseph River mouth, 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 | St. Joseph River mouth (1 ft) | Trolled spoon (orange/gold), Stickbait off planer boards |
| Summer | 50 to 120 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (119 ft) | Flasher + fly (green/white), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (20 ft) | J-plug (glow), Flasher + fly |
| Winter | 30 to 90 ft | midday | Sharp break (89 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 St. Joseph River mouth, 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 | St. Joseph River mouth (1 ft) | Small orange dodger + peanut fly, Thin spoon (orange/silver) |
| Summer | 30 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (28 ft) | Dodger + fly, Medium spoon above the thermocline |
| Fall | 8 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | St. Joseph River mouth (1 ft) | Casting spoon, Spinner (chartreuse) |
| Winter | 20 to 60 ft | midday | Sharp break (20 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 | St. Joseph River mouth (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 | St. Joseph River mouth (1 ft) | Spinner (silver/blue), Casting spoon |
| Winter | 4 to 15 ft | midday | St. Joseph River mouth (1 ft) | Float jig (black/purple), Bead rig |
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 Sharp break. It's a drop-off holding about 28 ft of water and rates prime come summer. 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 | St. Joseph River mouth (1 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 | St. Joseph River mouth (1 ft) | Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon |
| Winter | 5 to 35 ft | dawn | Sharp break (20 ft) | Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow) |
When the water first warms, yellow perch slide up into 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. If you only fish one area, make it Sharp break: a drop-off around 20 ft that scores prime in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Keep a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | St. Joseph River mouth (1 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Sharp break (20 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 12 to 35 ft | midday | Sharp break (20 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Offshore hump (20 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Structure-wise the chart holds 73 features, led in depth by Deepest basin at roughly 265 ft.
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 South Shore specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Michigan fishing regulations →
Lake Michigan - Michigan South Shore is about 278 ft (85 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, brown trout, yellow perch on Lake Michigan - Michigan South Shore.
Sharp break is the top-rated area: a drop-off in about 28 ft of water that rates prime for brown trout in summer. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by 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 South 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.
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See how Lake Michigan - Michigan South Shore stacks up: best yellow perch lakes in Michigan · best chinook salmon lakes in Michigan · best coho salmon lakes in Michigan · best steelhead lakes in Michigan
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.