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Fishing Sporley Lake: what the data says
98-acre lake near Marquette County. The lake tops out around 42 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.
Brook Trout fishing at Sporley Lake
Spring brook trout on Sporley Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 15 ft. They move out to 10 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 3 to 20 ft. The spot to know is Break off the point, a drop-off in about 28 ft of water that rates prime for brook trout in summer. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a small spoon fished deep or a trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Small inline spinner (gold), Tiny spoon |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Small spoon fished deep, Trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm |
| Fall | 2 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Small spoon (orange), Spinner |
| Winter | 3 to 20 ft | dawn | Small jigging spoon, Tungsten jig + plastic |
Rainbow Trout fishing at Sporley Lake
Spring rainbow trout on Sporley Lake hold shallow, usually 5 to 20 ft. They move out to 8 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 8 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Break off the point, a drop-off in about 28 ft of water that rates prime for rainbow trout in winter. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon gets it done.
| 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) |
Brown Trout fishing at Sporley Lake
In spring, brown trout run shallow here, mostly 3 to 25 ft. By summer they slide out to 13 to 42 ft, and by winter most fish are in 5 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Break off the point: a drop-off around 28 ft that scores prime in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and early morning. A spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines |
| Summer | 13 to 42 ft | night & dawn | Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night) |
| Fall | 5 to 30 ft | dusk & dawn | Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon |
| Winter | 5 to 35 ft | dawn | Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow) |
Coho Salmon fishing at Sporley Lake
Start shallow in spring: coho salmon sit in 3 to 25 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 13 to 42 ft, and by winter most fish are in 13 to 42 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 41 ft that scores prime in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A dodger + fly or a medium spoon above the thermocline covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Small orange dodger + peanut fly, Thin spoon (orange/silver) |
| Summer | 13 to 42 ft | dawn & dusk | Dodger + fly, Medium spoon above the thermocline |
| Fall | 8 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Casting spoon, Spinner (chartreuse) |
| Winter | 13 to 42 ft | midday | Small spoon, slow troll |
Cisco (Lake Herring) fishing at Sporley Lake
Spring cisco (lake herring) on Sporley Lake hold shallow, usually 10 to 40 ft. They move out to 13 to 42 ft in summer and finish the year down in 13 to 42 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 41 ft of water that rates prime for cisco (lake herring) in summer. Plan around early morning in the warm months. Summer baits: a vertical flutter spoon (small) or a drop-shot micro plastic gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Small silver spoon, Tiny swim jig (white) |
| Summer | 13 to 42 ft | dawn | Vertical flutter spoon (small), Drop-shot micro plastic |
| Fall | 5 to 25 ft | dusk & dawn | Small casting spoon, Inline spinner (silver) |
| Winter | 13 to 42 ft | dawn | Small jigging spoon (glow/silver), Tungsten jig + minnow head |
Yellow Perch fishing at Sporley Lake
Spring yellow perch on Sporley Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 10 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 6 ft that scores prime in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning. 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 | 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) |
Sporley Lake also holds northern pike (8 to 20 ft in summer), smallmouth bass (10 to 30 ft in summer), largemouth bass (8 to 20 ft in summer), rock bass (5 to 20 ft in summer), pumpkinseed (2 to 10 ft in summer), brown bullhead (3 to 12 ft in summer), burbot (13 to 42 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 41 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 28 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 11 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 10 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 9 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
Common questions
How deep is Sporley Lake?
Sporley Lake is about 42 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 Sporley Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, rainbow trout, yellow perch, coho salmon, brown trout, brook trout, burbot, rock bass, cisco (lake herring), pumpkinseed, brown bullhead on Sporley 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 Sporley Lake?
Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 41 ft of water that rates prime for coho salmon in summer. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Sporley Lake?
For brook trout, 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
Engman Lake · Farmer Lake · Stump Lake · Little Lake · Bass Lake · Bertraud Lake
See how Sporley Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Michigan · best smallmouth bass lakes in Michigan · best northern pike lakes in Michigan · best rainbow trout 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.