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Fishing Paw Lake: what the data says
37-acre lake near Iron County. The lake tops out around 14 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.
Yellow Perch fishing at Paw Lake
Start shallow in spring: yellow perch sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. They move out to 4 to 14 ft in summer and finish the year down in 4 to 14 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for spring yellow perch. Plan around early morning in the warm months. 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 | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 4 to 14 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Northern Pike fishing at Paw Lake
In spring, northern pike run shallow here, mostly 2 to 8 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 4 to 14 ft, and winter fish settle into 4 to 14 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 3 ft, rated prime for spring northern pike. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 4 to 14 ft | dawn & dusk | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | midday & dawn | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft | midday | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Paw Lake
Start shallow in spring: smallmouth bass sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 4 to 14 ft, and by winter most fish are in 4 to 14 ft. Main-lake point is the standout, a point at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for fall smallmouth bass. Best bite is 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 | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 4 to 14 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Paw Lake
Spring largemouth bass on Paw Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 4 to 14 ft, and by winter most fish are in 4 to 14 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 3 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is 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 | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 4 to 14 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Rock Bass fishing at Paw Lake
In spring, rock bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 4 to 14 ft in summer and finish the year down in 4 to 14 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Main-lake point: a point around 6 ft that scores prime in summer. Best bite is the evening. 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 | 4 to 14 ft | dusk | Ned rig (small), Marabou jig |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | midday | Small tube jig, Inline spinner |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + plastic, Small spoon + spike |
Bluegill fishing at Paw Lake
Start shallow in spring: bluegill sit in 1 to 6 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 4 to 14 ft, and winter fish settle into 4 to 14 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 3 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is 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 | 4 to 14 ft | dawn & dusk | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 4 to 14 ft | midday | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 4 to 14 ft | midday | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Paw Lake also holds pumpkinseed (2 to 10 ft in summer), brown bullhead (3 to 12 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 14 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 11 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 6 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
Common questions
How deep is Paw Lake?
Paw Lake is about 14 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 Paw Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, yellow perch, rock bass, pumpkinseed, brown bullhead on Paw 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 Paw Lake?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Paw Lake?
For yellow perch, 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
McPherson Lake · Curry Lake · Bela Lake · Mitigwaki, Lake · Robinson Lake · Lewis Lake
See how Paw Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Michigan · best smallmouth bass lakes in Michigan · best northern pike 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.