Pere Marquette River Fishing Map (MI)

Fishing Pere Marquette River: what the data says

Blue-ribbon flies-only water below Baldwin; wild browns, big fall salmon and steelhead. The river tops out around 8 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.

Steelhead fishing at Pere Marquette River

In spring, steelhead run shallow here, mostly 1 to 8 ft. Summer fish stay in 1 to 8 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 8 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Current seam (mile 3.7): a current seam around 4 ft that scores prime in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a orange dodger + fly high in the column or a thin spoon off boards gets it done.

Season	Depth	Best window	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 8 ft	dawn & dusk	Small spoon or spinner at the mouths, Jig + waxworm under float
Summer	1 to 8 ft	dawn & dusk	Orange dodger + fly high in the column, Thin spoon off boards
Fall	1 to 8 ft	dawn & dusk	Spinner (silver/blue), Casting spoon
Winter	2 to 8 ft	midday	Float jig (black/purple), Bead rig

Chinook Salmon fishing at Pere Marquette River

Spring chinook salmon on Pere Marquette River hold shallow, usually 1 to 8 ft. Summer fish stay in 2 to 8 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 8 ft. Lowhead weir tailrace is the standout, a dam tailrace at roughly 7 ft, rated prime for spring chinook salmon. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a flasher + fly (green/white) or a magnum spoon on downrigger gets it done.

Season	Depth	Best window	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 8 ft	dawn & dusk	Trolled spoon (orange/gold), Stickbait off planer boards
Summer	2 to 8 ft	dawn & dusk	Flasher + fly (green/white), Magnum spoon on downrigger
Fall	2 to 8 ft	dawn & dusk	J-plug (glow), Flasher + fly
Winter	2 to 8 ft	midday	Small spoon on a slow troll, Stickbait deep

Brown Trout fishing at Pere Marquette River

In spring, brown trout run shallow here, mostly 1 to 8 ft. Summer fish stay in 2 to 8 ft, and winter fish hold in 1 to 8 ft. Current seam (mile 3.7) is the standout, a current seam at roughly 4 ft, rated prime for summer brown trout. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and early morning. Tie on a spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night) and you're in the game.

Season	Depth	Best window	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 8 ft	dawn & dusk	Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines
Summer	2 to 8 ft	night & dawn	Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night)
Fall	1 to 8 ft	dusk & dawn	Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon
Winter	1 to 8 ft	dawn	Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow)

Crappie fishing at Pere Marquette River

Spring crappie on Pere Marquette River hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. Summer fish stay in 2 to 8 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 8 ft. The spot to know is Outside-bend hole (mile 0.6), a creek channel in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in fall. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.

Season	Depth	Best window	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 8 ft	midday & dawn	1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub
Summer	2 to 8 ft	dawn & dusk	Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled)
Fall	2 to 8 ft	dawn	Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2")
Winter	2 to 8 ft	midday	Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon

Bluegill fishing at Pere Marquette River

In spring, bluegill run shallow here, mostly 1 to 6 ft. They move out to 2 to 8 ft in summer and finish the year down in 2 to 8 ft. The spot to know is Tailout eddy (mile 11.9), a eddy pocket in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for bluegill in winter. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig covers the summer program.

Season	Depth	Best window	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 6 ft	midday & dusk	1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings)
Summer	2 to 8 ft	dawn & dusk	Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig
Fall	2 to 8 ft	midday	Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped
Winter	2 to 8 ft	midday	Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon

Coho Salmon fishing at Pere Marquette River

Start shallow in spring: coho salmon sit in 1 to 8 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 2 to 8 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 8 ft. Lowhead weir tailrace is the standout, a dam tailrace at roughly 7 ft, rated prime for spring coho salmon. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Tie on a dodger + fly or a medium spoon above the thermocline and you're in the game.

Season	Depth	Best window	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 8 ft	dawn & dusk	Small orange dodger + peanut fly, Thin spoon (orange/silver)
Summer	2 to 8 ft	dawn & dusk	Dodger + fly, Medium spoon above the thermocline
Fall	2 to 8 ft	dawn & dusk	Casting spoon, Spinner (chartreuse)
Winter	2 to 8 ft	midday	Small spoon, slow troll

Pere Marquette River also holds largemouth bass (2 to 8 ft in summer), rainbow trout (2 to 8 ft in summer), yellow perch (2 to 8 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.

Notable structure

Lowhead weir tailrace: dam tailrace, around 7 ft
Lowhead weir tailrace: dam tailrace, around 7 ft
Eddy pocket (mile 10.1): eddy pocket, around 7 ft
Inside bend (mile 28.4): point, around 7 ft
Channel swing (mile 11.0): creek channel, around 7 ft
Outside-bend hole (mile 0.6): creek channel, around 6 ft
Outside-bend hole (mile 6.2): creek channel, around 6 ft
Outside-bend hole (mile 8.4): creek channel, around 6 ft
Outside-bend hole (mile 17.2): creek channel, around 6 ft
Outside-bend hole (mile 19.7): creek channel, around 6 ft
Outside-bend hole (mile 22.8): creek channel, around 6 ft
Outside-bend hole (mile 26.8): creek channel, around 6 ft
Channel swing (mile 21.1): creek channel, around 6 ft
Current seam (mile 18.3): current seam, around 6 ft

Common questions

How deep is Pere Marquette River?

Pere Marquette River is about 8 ft at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.

What fish are in Pere Marquette River?

Anglers target largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, rainbow trout, yellow perch, chinook salmon, coho salmon, steelhead, brown trout on Pere Marquette River.

Where is the best fishing spot on Pere Marquette River?

Current seam (mile 3.7) is the top-rated area: a current seam in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for steelhead in summer. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.

When is the best time to fish Pere Marquette River?

For steelhead, 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.

Nearby waters

Big Star Lake · School Section Lake · Ford Lake · Gilbert Lake · Bass Lake · Nichols Lake

See how Pere Marquette River stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Michigan · best crappie lakes in Michigan · best bluegill lakes in Michigan · best rainbow trout lakes in Michigan

Browse all Michigan fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.

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