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Fishing Lake Superior - Apostle Islands and Chequamegon Bay: what the data says
602,417-acre section. Island-studded lake trout water off Bayfield, and shallow Chequamegon Bay with its famous smallmouth and brown trout fishery out of Ashland. The lake tops out around 613 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
Lake Trout fishing at Lake Superior - Apostle Islands and Chequamegon Bay
Start shallow in spring: lake trout sit in 10 to 40 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 50 to 120 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 80 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Offshore hump: a offshore hump around 61 ft that scores prime in summer. Best bite is early morning. Summer baits: a white tube jig (deep) or a magnum spoon on downrigger gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Casting spoon over shoals, Jerkbait (shallow) |
| Summer | 50 to 120 ft | dawn | White tube jig (deep), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | dusk & dawn | Heavy casting spoon, Jigging rap over reefs |
| Winter | 20 to 80 ft | dawn | White tube jig, Airplane jig |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Lake Superior - Apostle Islands and Chequamegon Bay
In spring, smallmouth bass run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 45 ft. Shoreline point is the standout, a point at roughly 19 ft, rated prime for fall smallmouth bass. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Walleye fishing at Lake Superior - Apostle Islands and Chequamegon Bay
In spring, walleye run shallow here, mostly 4 to 15 ft. By summer they slide out to 15 to 35 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 40 ft. Offshore hump is the standout, a offshore hump at roughly 33 ft, rated prime for summer walleye. In summer the feeding windows fall in the evening and early morning. Summer baits: a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 15 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 12 to 40 ft | dusk & night | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Coho Salmon fishing at Lake Superior - Apostle Islands and Chequamegon Bay
In spring, coho salmon run shallow here, mostly 3 to 25 ft. They move out to 30 to 70 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 60 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shoreline point: a point around 19 ft that scores prime in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A dodger + fly or a medium spoon above the thermocline covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Small orange dodger + peanut fly, Thin spoon (orange/silver) |
| Summer | 30 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | Dodger + fly, Medium spoon above the thermocline |
| Fall | 8 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Casting spoon, Spinner (chartreuse) |
| Winter | 20 to 60 ft | midday | Small spoon, slow troll |
Brown Trout fishing at Lake Superior - Apostle Islands and Chequamegon Bay
In spring, brown trout run shallow here, mostly 3 to 25 ft. By summer they slide out to 25 to 60 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 35 ft. Shoreline point is the standout, a point at roughly 19 ft, rated prime for spring brown trout. Plan around after dark and early morning in the warm months. A spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | night & dawn | Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night) |
| Fall | 5 to 30 ft | dusk & dawn | Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon |
| Winter | 5 to 35 ft | dawn | Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow) |
Northern Pike fishing at Lake Superior - Apostle Islands and Chequamegon Bay
Start shallow in spring: northern pike sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 15 ft. The spot to know is Weed flat, a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for northern pike in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Lake Superior - Apostle Islands and Chequamegon Bay also holds lake whitefish (40 to 90 ft in summer), burbot (50 to 120 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deepest basin: deep basin, around 600 ft
- Deep hole: deep basin, around 458 ft
- Deep hole: deep basin, around 419 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 331 ft
- Deep hole: deep basin, around 289 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 249 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 221 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 207 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 203 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 197 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 173 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 170 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 166 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 153 ft
Common questions
How deep is Lake Superior - Apostle Islands and Chequamegon Bay?
Lake Superior - Apostle Islands and Chequamegon Bay is about 613 ft at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
What fish are in Lake Superior - Apostle Islands and Chequamegon Bay?
Anglers target smallmouth bass, walleye, northern pike, coho salmon, lake trout, brown trout, lake whitefish, burbot on Lake Superior - Apostle Islands and Chequamegon Bay.
Where is the best fishing spot on Lake Superior - Apostle Islands and Chequamegon Bay?
Shoreline point is the top-rated area: a point in about 19 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in fall. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Lake Superior - Apostle Islands and Chequamegon Bay?
For lake trout, the summer bite is best in early morning. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
Lake Namekagon · Bois Brule River · Turtle-Flambeau Flowage · Round Lake · Chippewa Flowage · Lake Superior - Duluth and the Western Arm
See how Lake Superior - Apostle Islands and Chequamegon Bay stacks up: best smallmouth bass lakes in Wisconsin · best walleye lakes in Wisconsin · best northern pike lakes in Wisconsin · best lake trout lakes in Wisconsin
Browse all Wisconsin fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.