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Fishing Pere Marquette Lake: what the data says
610-acre lake near Ludington. The lake tops out around 44 ft. The depth chart is built from real NOAA hydrographic survey soundings, 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.
Walleye fishing at Pere Marquette Lake
In spring, walleye run shallow here, mostly 4 to 15 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 15 to 35 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 40 ft. Pere Marquette River inflow is the standout, a inflow / creek mouth at roughly 7 ft, rated prime for spring walleye. Best bite is the evening and early morning. Tie on a crawler harness on bottom bouncer or a deep crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 15 ft | dusk & dawn | 1/8 oz jig + minnow, Hair jig |
| Summer | 15 to 35 ft | dusk & dawn | Crawler harness on bottom bouncer, Deep crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 12 to 40 ft | dusk & night | Jigging rap, Jig + big minnow |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | dusk & dawn | Jigging spoon + minnow head, Rattle bait |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Pere Marquette Lake
In spring, smallmouth bass run shallow here, mostly 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 10 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 13 to 44 ft. The spot to know is Main-lake point, a point in about 10 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in fall. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 13 to 44 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Yellow Perch fishing at Pere Marquette Lake
Spring yellow perch on Pere Marquette Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Break off the point: a drop-off around 31 ft that scores prime in fall. Best bite is early morning. A drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 12 to 35 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Rainbow Trout fishing at Pere Marquette Lake
Start shallow in spring: rainbow trout sit in 5 to 20 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 8 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are in 8 to 40 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Pere Marquette River inflow: a inflow / creek mouth around 7 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 8 to 40 ft | dawn | Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white) |
Steelhead fishing at Pere Marquette Lake
In spring, steelhead run shallow here, mostly 3 to 20 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 5 to 44 ft, and winter fish settle into 4 to 15 ft. The spot to know is Pere Marquette River inflow, a inflow / creek mouth in about 7 ft of water that rates prime for steelhead in spring. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A orange dodger + fly high in the column or a thin spoon off boards covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Small spoon or spinner at the mouths, Jig + waxworm under float |
| Summer | 5 to 44 ft | dawn & dusk | Orange dodger + fly high in the column, Thin spoon off boards |
| Fall | 5 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinner (silver/blue), Casting spoon |
| Winter | 4 to 15 ft | midday | Float jig (black/purple), Bead rig |
Chinook Salmon fishing at Pere Marquette Lake
In spring, chinook salmon run shallow here, mostly 5 to 40 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 13 to 44 ft, and winter fish settle into 13 to 44 ft. Pere Marquette River inflow is the standout, a inflow / creek mouth at roughly 7 ft, rated prime for spring chinook salmon. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a flasher + fly (green/white) or a magnum spoon on downrigger and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Trolled spoon (orange/gold), Stickbait off planer boards |
| Summer | 13 to 44 ft | dawn & dusk | Flasher + fly (green/white), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 9 to 44 ft | dawn & dusk | J-plug (glow), Flasher + fly |
| Winter | 13 to 44 ft | midday | Small spoon on a slow troll, Stickbait deep |
Pere Marquette Lake also holds coho salmon (13 to 44 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 42 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 39 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 31 ft
- Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 20 ft
- Shallow feeding flat: feeding flat, around 18 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 14 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 10 ft
- Pere Marquette River inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 7 ft
- Marina / dock area: dock line, around 3 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Pere Marquette Lake?
Pere Marquette Lake is about 44 ft at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real NOAA hydrographic surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
What fish are in Pere Marquette Lake?
Anglers target smallmouth bass, walleye, rainbow trout, yellow perch, chinook salmon, coho salmon, steelhead on Pere Marquette Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Pere Marquette Lake?
Pere Marquette River inflow is the top-rated area: a inflow / creek mouth in about 7 ft of water that rates prime for walleye in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Pere Marquette 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
Hamlin Lake · Bass Lake · Hart Lake · Silver Lake (Dunes) · Gun Lake · Manistee Lake (Manistee)
See how Pere Marquette Lake stacks up: best smallmouth bass lakes in Michigan · best walleye lakes in Michigan · best rainbow trout lakes in Michigan · best yellow perch lakes in Michigan
Browse all Michigan fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: NOAA hydrographic surveys. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.