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Fishing Otter Lake: what the data says
925-acre lake near Oakland County. The lake tops out around 70 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. What follows comes from the same scoring engine that paints the spots above.
Cisco (Lake Herring) fishing at Otter Lake
Start shallow in spring: cisco (lake herring) sit in 10 to 40 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 21 to 70 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 60 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 69 ft of water that rates prime for cisco (lake herring) in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. Tie on a vertical flutter spoon (small) or a drop-shot micro plastic and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Small silver spoon, Tiny swim jig (white) |
| Summer | 21 to 70 ft | dawn | Vertical flutter spoon (small), Drop-shot micro plastic |
| Fall | 5 to 25 ft | dusk & dawn | Small casting spoon, Inline spinner (silver) |
| Winter | 20 to 60 ft | dawn | Small jigging spoon (glow/silver), Tungsten jig + minnow head |
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 69 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 18 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 12 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 6 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
Common questions
How deep is Otter Lake?
Otter Lake is about 70 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 Otter Lake?
Anglers target cisco (lake herring) on Otter Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Otter Lake?
Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 69 ft of water that rates prime for cisco (lake herring) in summer. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Otter Lake?
For cisco (lake herring), 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
Square Lake · Cass Lake · Pine Lake · Elizabeth Lake · Orchard Lake · Watkins Lake
See how Otter Lake stacks up: best cisco (lake herring) 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.