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Fishing McDonald Lake: what the data says
750-acre lake near Gogebic County. The lake tops out around 6 ft. The depth chart is built from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.
Largemouth Bass fishing at McDonald Lake
In spring, largemouth bass run shallow here, mostly 1 to 6 ft. Summer fish stay in 2 to 6 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 6 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 2 to 6 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 2 to 6 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 2 to 6 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at McDonald Lake
In spring, smallmouth bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 6 ft. Summer fish stay in 2 to 6 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 6 ft. The spot to know is Secondary point, a point in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 6 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 2 to 6 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 2 to 6 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 2 to 6 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Bluegill fishing at McDonald Lake
In spring, bluegill run shallow here, mostly 1 to 6 ft. Summer fish stay in 2 to 6 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 6 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 3 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 2 to 6 ft | dawn & dusk | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 2 to 6 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 2 to 6 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Crappie fishing at McDonald Lake
In spring, crappie run shallow here, mostly 2 to 6 ft. Summer fish stay in 2 to 6 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 6 ft. The spot to know is Old creek channel, a creek channel in about 5 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 6 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 2 to 6 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 2 to 6 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 2 to 6 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Yellow Perch fishing at McDonald Lake
In spring, yellow perch run shallow here, mostly 2 to 6 ft. Summer fish stay in 2 to 6 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 6 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for spring yellow perch. Best bite is early morning. Tie on a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 6 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 2 to 6 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 2 to 6 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 2 to 6 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Notable structure
- Main-lake point: point, around 8 ft
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 6 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 5 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 5 ft
- Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 4 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 3 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
Common questions
How deep is McDonald Lake?
McDonald Lake is about 6 ft at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
What fish are in McDonald Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, bluegill, yellow perch on McDonald Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on McDonald Lake?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish McDonald Lake?
For largemouth 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.
Nearby waters
Stateline Lake · Pomeroy Lake · Lake Gogebic · Bay Lake · Langford Lake · Cisco Lake
See how McDonald Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Michigan · best smallmouth bass lakes in Michigan · best crappie lakes in Michigan · best bluegill lakes in Michigan
Browse all Michigan fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.