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Fishing Orange Lake: what the data says
40-acre lake near Oakland County. The lake tops out around 11 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.
Walleye fishing at Orange Lake
Spring walleye on Orange Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 11 ft. Summer fish stay in 3 to 11 ft, and winter fish hold in 3 to 11 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 9 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in winter. Plan around the evening and early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 11 ft | dusk & dawn | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 3 to 11 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 3 to 11 ft | dusk & night | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 3 to 11 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Yellow Perch fishing at Orange Lake
In spring, yellow perch run shallow here, mostly 3 to 11 ft. Summer fish stay in 3 to 11 ft, and winter fish hold in 3 to 11 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 9 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Summer baits: a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 11 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 3 to 11 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 3 to 11 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 3 to 11 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Northern Pike fishing at Orange Lake
Start shallow in spring: northern pike sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 3 to 11 ft, and winter fish settle into 3 to 11 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 2 ft that scores prime 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 | 3 to 11 ft | dawn & dusk | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 3 to 11 ft | midday & dawn | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 3 to 11 ft | midday | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Orange Lake
Start shallow in spring: smallmouth bass sit in 3 to 11 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 3 to 11 ft, and winter fish hold in 3 to 11 ft. Main-lake point is the standout, a point at roughly 2 ft, rated prime for fall smallmouth bass. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 11 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 3 to 11 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 3 to 11 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 3 to 11 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Orange Lake
Spring largemouth bass on Orange Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 3 to 11 ft, and by winter most fish are in 3 to 11 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 2 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 3 to 11 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 3 to 11 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 3 to 11 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Rock Bass fishing at Orange Lake
Start shallow in spring: rock bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 3 to 11 ft, and winter fish settle into 3 to 11 ft. Deep basin is the standout, a deep basin at roughly 9 ft, rated prime for winter rock bass. Plan around the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a ned rig (small) or a marabou jig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + grub, Small inline spinner |
| Summer | 3 to 11 ft | dusk | Ned rig (small), Marabou jig |
| Fall | 3 to 11 ft | midday | Small tube jig, Inline spinner |
| Winter | 3 to 11 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + plastic, Small spoon + spike |
Orange Lake also holds crappie (3 to 11 ft in summer), bluegill (3 to 11 ft in summer), pumpkinseed (2 to 10 ft in summer), brown bullhead (3 to 11 ft in summer), common carp (2 to 11 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 9 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 2 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Orange Lake?
Orange Lake is about 11 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 Orange Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, northern pike, crappie, bluegill, yellow perch, common carp, rock bass, pumpkinseed, brown bullhead on Orange Lake. This isn't a survey of the lake — none is on record for it — but an informed estimate from the species listed for the nearest surveyed lakes in the region, filtered to this lake's depth and habitat.
Where is the best fishing spot on Orange Lake?
Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 9 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in winter. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Orange Lake?
For walleye, the summer bite is best in the evening and 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
Gilbert Lake · Square Lake · Meadow Lake · Pine Lake · Otter Lake · Galloway Lake
See how Orange Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Michigan · best smallmouth bass lakes in Michigan · best walleye lakes in Michigan · best northern pike 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.