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Fishing Sugarloaf Lake: what the data says
135-acre lake near Washtenaw County. The lake tops out around 10 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 Sugarloaf Lake
Spring yellow perch on Sugarloaf Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 10 ft. Summer fish stay in 3 to 10 ft, and winter fish hold in 3 to 10 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 10 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in fall. 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 | 3 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 3 to 10 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 3 to 10 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Northern Pike fishing at Sugarloaf Lake
Start shallow in spring: northern pike sit in 2 to 8 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 3 to 10 ft, and winter fish settle into 3 to 10 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 2 ft, rated prime for spring northern pike. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 3 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 3 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | midday | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Sugarloaf Lake
In spring, smallmouth bass run shallow here, mostly 3 to 10 ft. Summer fish stay in 3 to 10 ft, and winter fish hold in 3 to 10 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Break off the point: a drop-off around 6 ft that scores prime in winter. 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 | 3 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 3 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 3 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Sugarloaf Lake
Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 3 to 10 ft, and winter fish hold in 3 to 10 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in 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 | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 3 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 3 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Rock Bass fishing at Sugarloaf Lake
In spring, rock bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 10 ft. Summer fish stay in 3 to 10 ft, and winter fish hold in 3 to 10 ft. Break off the point is the standout, a drop-off at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for fall rock bass. In summer the feeding windows fall in the evening. A ned rig (small) or a marabou jig covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + grub, Small inline spinner |
| Summer | 3 to 10 ft | dusk | Ned rig (small), Marabou jig |
| Fall | 3 to 10 ft | midday | Small tube jig, Inline spinner |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + plastic, Small spoon + spike |
Crappie fishing at Sugarloaf Lake
Spring crappie on Sugarloaf Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 3 to 10 ft, and winter fish settle into 3 to 10 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 10 ft of water that rates prime for crappie in winter. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 3 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 3 to 10 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 3 to 10 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Sugarloaf Lake also holds bluegill (3 to 10 ft in summer), pumpkinseed (2 to 10 ft in summer), brown bullhead (3 to 10 ft in summer), common carp (2 to 10 ft in summer), longnose gar (1 to 10 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 10 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 6 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 Sugarloaf Lake?
Sugarloaf Lake is about 10 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 Sugarloaf Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, crappie, bluegill, yellow perch, common carp, longnose gar, rock bass, pumpkinseed, brown bullhead on Sugarloaf 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 Sugarloaf Lake?
Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 10 ft of water that rates prime for yellow perch in fall. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Sugarloaf 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
Mud Lake · Crooked Lake · no name Lake · Cavanaugh Lake · Clear Lake · Pond Lily Lake
See how Sugarloaf Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Michigan · best smallmouth bass lakes in Michigan · best northern pike lakes in Michigan · best crappie 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.