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920-acre lake near Coloma. The lake tops out around 90 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. Species by species, here's what the data says the year looks like.
Paw Paw Lake maps at 944 acres behind 9.9 miles of shoreline. A development index of 2.3 means a maze of bays and points: far more casting targets than a round bowl of the same size. About 28% of the surface sits shallower than 15 ft — that's the weed-and-bait zone. Call it 2.8 mi long by 1.1 mi wide at the broadest reach. Berrien County claims this one. Its nearest charted neighbour, Rush Lake, is 4 mi to the northeast.
When the water first warms, largemouth bass slide up into 2 to 10 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 20 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 4 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Keep a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (11 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (6 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Break off the point (11 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
When the water first warms, bluegill slide up into 1 to 6 ft. Summer is a 4 to 15 ft game here, winter a 10 to 25 ft one. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 4 ft of water and rates prime come spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. Keep a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dusk | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | 1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings) |
| Summer | 4 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday | Break off the point (11 ft) | Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped |
| Winter | 10 to 25 ft | midday | Break off the point (11 ft) | Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon |
Come spring, look for crappie tight to the bank in 2 to 8 ft. Expect a summer slide to 10 to 25 ft, then a winter hold in 15 to 35 ft. Start at Shallow bay flat. It's a weed flat holding about 4 ft of water and rates prime come spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) is the honest summer answer here.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (11 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Break off the point (11 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Deep basin (90 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Spring puts walleye in skinny water — 4 to 15 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 15 to 35 ft, wintering in 20 to 40 ft. Spring walleye concentrate at Creek inflow, a prime-rated inflow / creek mouth around 5 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around the evening and early morning. A crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | Creek inflow (5 ft) | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 15 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (11 ft) | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 12 to 40 ft | dusk & night | Break off the point (11 ft) | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | dusk & dawn | Deep basin (90 ft) | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Start shallow in spring: yellow perch sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning. Throw a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (4 ft) | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Break off the point (11 ft) | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 12 to 35 ft | midday | Break off the point (11 ft) | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow feeding flat (24 ft) | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Paw Paw Lake carries 21 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deep basin, about 90 ft down.
Access data: Michigan DNR — Michigan Boating Access Sites. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Michigan waters are set by the Michigan DNR — and special regulations can apply to Paw Paw Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Michigan fishing regulations →
Paw Paw Lake is about 90 ft (27 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
Anglers target largemouth bass, bluegill, crappie, walleye, yellow perch on Paw Paw Lake.
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Scroll up to the map for the complete spot list by species and season.
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.
Fishing on Paw Paw Lake is regulated by the Michigan DNR. Check the official Michigan regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Rush Lake 4 mi · Van Auken Lake 5 mi · Shafer Lake 9 mi · Round Lake 9 mi · Black Lake 10 mi · Cable Lake 11 mi · Magician Lake 11 mi · Christie Lake 13 mi · Lake Cora 15 mi · Eagle Lake 15 mi · Woods, Lake of the 15 mi · Lower Jeptha Lake 16 mi
See how Paw Paw Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Michigan · best walleye lakes in Michigan · best crappie lakes in Michigan · best bluegill lakes in Michigan
Browse all Michigan fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.