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Fishing West Lake: what the data says
123-acre lake near Washtenaw County. The lake tops out around 6 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 West Lake
Start shallow in spring: yellow perch sit in 2 to 6 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 2 to 6 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 6 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Shallow bay flat: a weed flat around 2 ft that scores prime in spring. Plan around early morning in the warm months. A drop-shot micro plastics or a small spoon tipped with worm covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 6 ft | midday & dawn | Small jig + curly tail, Perch-pattern micro crank |
| Summer | 2 to 6 ft | dawn | Drop-shot micro plastics, Small spoon tipped with worm |
| Fall | 2 to 6 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (small), Perch rig / spreader |
| Winter | 2 to 6 ft | midday & dawn | Tungsten jig + spikes, Rattle spoon (small) |
Northern Pike fishing at West Lake
Spring northern pike on West Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 6 ft. Summer fish stay in 2 to 6 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 6 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. A bucktail or a weedless spoon over cabbage covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 6 ft | midday & dawn | #5 inline spinner, Spoon (red/white) |
| Summer | 2 to 6 ft | dawn & dusk | Bucktail, Weedless spoon over cabbage |
| Fall | 2 to 6 ft | midday & dawn | Big rubber (Bull Dawg style), Husky-style jerkbait |
| Winter | 2 to 6 ft | midday | Tip-ups, Large jigging spoon |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at West Lake
Start shallow in spring: smallmouth bass sit in 2 to 6 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 2 to 6 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 6 ft. The spot to know is Main-lake point, a point in about 2 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in fall. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. A drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 6 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 2 to 6 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 2 to 6 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 2 to 6 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Largemouth Bass fishing at West Lake
Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 1 to 6 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 2 to 6 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 6 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 2 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 2 to 6 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 2 to 6 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 2 to 6 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Rock Bass fishing at West Lake
Start shallow in spring: rock bass sit in 1 to 6 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 2 to 6 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 6 ft. Main-lake point is the standout, a point at roughly 2 ft, rated prime for summer rock bass. Plan around the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a ned rig (small) or a marabou jig gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 1 to 6 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + grub, Small inline spinner |
| Summer | 2 to 6 ft | dusk | Ned rig (small), Marabou jig |
| Fall | 2 to 6 ft | midday | Small tube jig, Inline spinner |
| Winter | 2 to 6 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + plastic, Small spoon + spike |
Crappie fishing at West Lake
Start shallow in spring: crappie sit in 2 to 6 ft that time of year. Summer fish stay in 2 to 6 ft, and winter fish hold in 2 to 6 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Deep basin: a deep basin around 6 ft that scores prime in winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. A jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 6 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 2 to 6 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 2 to 6 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 2 to 6 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
West Lake also holds bluegill (2 to 6 ft in summer), pumpkinseed (1 to 6 ft in summer), brown bullhead (2 to 6 ft in summer), common carp (1 to 6 ft in summer), longnose gar (1 to 6 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 6 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 West Lake?
West Lake is about 6 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 West Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike, crappie, bluegill, yellow perch, common carp, longnose gar, rock bass, pumpkinseed, brown bullhead on West 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 West 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 West 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
North Lake · Gorman Lake · Island Lake · Fourmile Lake · Long Lake · Halfmoon Lake
See how West 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.