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Fishing Tomahawk Lake: what the data says
51-acre lake near Presque Isle County. The lake tops out around 32 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. Here is how the season plays out for each species, straight from the data behind the map.
Brook Trout fishing at Tomahawk Lake
Spring brook trout on Tomahawk 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. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 30 ft that scores prime in summer. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a small spoon fished deep or a trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm and you're in the game.
| 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 |
Cisco (Lake Herring) fishing at Tomahawk Lake
Spring cisco (lake herring) on Tomahawk Lake hold shallow, usually 8 to 32 ft. Summer fish stay in 10 to 32 ft, and winter fish hold in 10 to 32 ft. The spot to know is Deep basin, a deep basin in about 30 ft of water that rates prime for cisco (lake herring) in spring. Best bite is early morning. Summer baits: a vertical flutter spoon (small) or a drop-shot micro plastic gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 8 to 32 ft | dawn & dusk | Small silver spoon, Tiny swim jig (white) |
| Summer | 10 to 32 ft | dawn | Vertical flutter spoon (small), Drop-shot micro plastic |
| Fall | 5 to 25 ft | dusk & dawn | Small casting spoon, Inline spinner (silver) |
| Winter | 10 to 32 ft | dawn | Small jigging spoon (glow/silver), Tungsten jig + minnow head |
Yellow Perch fishing at Tomahawk Lake
Spring yellow perch on Tomahawk Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 10 to 30 ft, and winter fish settle into 10 to 32 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 4 ft that scores prime in spring. Plan around early morning in the warm months. 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 | 10 to 32 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 10 to 32 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Northern Pike fishing at Tomahawk Lake
In spring, northern pike run shallow here, mostly 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 5 to 15 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 4 ft that scores prime in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. 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 | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 6 to 18 ft | midday & dawn | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 5 to 15 ft | midday | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Tomahawk Lake
Start shallow in spring: smallmouth bass sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. They move out to 10 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 10 to 32 ft. The spot to know is Main-lake point, a point in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig and you're in the game.
| 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 | 10 to 32 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Largemouth Bass fishing at Tomahawk Lake
Spring largemouth bass on Tomahawk Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 10 to 32 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 4 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 10 to 32 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Tomahawk Lake also holds rock bass (5 to 20 ft in summer), bluegill (4 to 15 ft in summer), pumpkinseed (2 to 10 ft in summer), brown bullhead (3 to 12 ft in summer), burbot (10 to 32 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 30 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 4 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 3 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 2 ft
Common questions
How deep is Tomahawk Lake?
Tomahawk Lake is about 32 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 Tomahawk Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, bluegill, yellow perch, brook trout, burbot, rock bass, cisco (lake herring), pumpkinseed, brown bullhead on Tomahawk 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 Tomahawk Lake?
Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 30 ft of water that rates prime for cisco (lake herring) in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Tomahawk 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
Shoepac Lake · Francis Lake · Loon Lake · Bear Den Lake · Geneva, Lake · Rainy Lake
See how Tomahawk Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Michigan · best smallmouth bass lakes in Michigan · best northern pike lakes in Michigan · best bluegill 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.