Rice Lake Fishing Map & Depth Chart (MI)

Recommendations come from depth structure and seasonal species behavior. Treat them as a starting point, not a guarantee. Contours here are interpolated from real agency depth surveys (state DNR / USACE). Never use for navigation. Always check local regulations.

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Recent catches at Rice Lake

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Fishing Rice Lake: what the data says

76-acre lake near Marquette County. The lake tops out around 5 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. Below is the species-by-species picture, pulled from the same data the map uses.

Yellow Perch fishing at Rice Lake

Spring yellow perch on Rice Lake hold shallow, usually 1 to 5 ft. Summer fish stay in 2 to 5 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 5 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in spring. Best bite is early morning. Summer baits: a drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm gets it done.

Season	Depth	Best window	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 5 ft	midday & dawn	Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank
Summer	2 to 5 ft	dawn	Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm
Fall	2 to 5 ft	midday	Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader
Winter	2 to 5 ft	midday & dawn	Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small)

Smallmouth Bass fishing at Rice Lake

Start shallow in spring: smallmouth bass sit in 1 to 5 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 2 to 5 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 5 ft. Main-lake point is the standout, a point at roughly 2 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	1 to 5 ft	dawn & dusk	Ned rig, Tube jig
Summer	2 to 5 ft	dawn & dusk	Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig
Fall	2 to 5 ft	midday & dawn	Jerkbait, Blade bait
Winter	2 to 5 ft	midday	Blade bait, Hair jig

Largemouth Bass fishing at Rice Lake

Spring largemouth bass on Rice Lake hold shallow, usually 1 to 5 ft. Summer fish stay in 2 to 5 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 5 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 2 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	1 to 5 ft	dawn & dusk	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	2 to 5 ft	dawn & dusk	Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait
Fall	1 to 5 ft	midday & dawn	Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait
Winter	2 to 5 ft	midday	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Pumpkinseed fishing at Rice Lake

Start shallow in spring: pumpkinseed sit in 1 to 5 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 1 to 5 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 5 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 2 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in the evening and early morning. Summer baits: a micro tube or a sponge spider (fly) gets it done.

Season	Depth	Best window	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 5 ft	midday & dusk	Micro jig under a float, Tiny beetle-spin
Summer	1 to 5 ft	dusk & dawn	Micro tube, Sponge spider (fly)
Fall	1 to 5 ft	dusk & dawn	Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped
Winter	2 to 5 ft	dawn	Tungsten ice jig + plastic, Tiny spoon

Notable structure

Deep basin: deep basin, around 5 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 4 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 2 ft
Secondary point: point, around 2 ft
Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 2 ft

Common questions

How deep is Rice Lake?

Rice Lake is about 5 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 Rice Lake?

Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, pumpkinseed on Rice 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 Rice Lake?

Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 2 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 Rice 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

Bertraud Lake · Johnson Lake · Bass Lake · Little Lake · Stump Lake · Farmer Lake

See how Rice Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Michigan · best smallmouth bass lakes in Michigan · best yellow perch lakes in Michigan · best pumpkinseed 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.