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Rating depth structure for brook trout.
Recent public catches load as you reach this section.
50-acre lake in Manistee County, Michigan. The lake tops out around 30 ft. The depth chart comes from Michigan Department of Natural Resources bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled. Here is how the season plays out for each species, straight from the data behind the map.
The outline encloses 60 acres, worked by 1.2 miles of shoreline. At index 1.1 the outline is almost a bowl — read the depth changes, not the shoreline. Roughly 57% of the water is 15 ft or less, the band where the food chain lives. The basin spans about 0.4 mi end to end and 0.3 mi across at its widest. It sits in Manistee County. If the bite dies, Pine Lake is 3 mi to the northeast.
When the water first warms, brook trout slide up into 2 to 15 ft. By summer they slide out to 10 to 30 ft, and by winter most fish are 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. Keep a small spoon fished deep or a trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm rigged through the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 15 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (5 ft) | Small inline spinner (gold), Tiny spoon |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep basin (30 ft) | Small spoon fished deep, Trolled lake-clear wobbler + worm |
| Fall | 2 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Main-lake point (5 ft) | Small spoon (orange), Spinner |
| Winter | 3 to 20 ft | dawn | Shallow bay flat (3 ft) | Small jigging spoon, Tungsten jig + plastic |
Come spring, look for rainbow trout tight to the bank in 5 to 20 ft. Expect a summer slide to 8 to 30 ft, then a winter hold in 6 to 30 ft. Start at Break off the point. It's a drop-off holding about 25 ft of water and rates prime come winter. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. A dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon is the honest summer answer here.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (5 ft) | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (25 ft) | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 9 to 30 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (25 ft) | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 6 to 30 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 40 ft | dawn | Break off the point (25 ft) | Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white) |
Start shallow in spring: brown trout sit in 3 to 25 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 9 to 30 ft; cold water stacks them in 4 to 30 ft. Top water on the chart: Break off the point, a drop-off in the 25 ft range, prime in summer. Fish it in after dark and early morning and you'll meet the bite. Throw a spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night) until the fish tell you otherwise.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (5 ft) | Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines |
| Summer | 9 to 30 ft chart-limited; documented 25 to 60 ft | night & dawn | Break off the point (25 ft) | Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night) |
| Fall | 5 to 30 ft | dusk & dawn | Main-lake point (5 ft) | Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon |
| Winter | 4 to 30 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 35 ft | dawn | Break off the point (25 ft) | Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow) |
Spring chinook salmon on Woods, Lake of the hold shallow, usually 4 to 30 ft. Depth-wise the year is flat: 9 to 30 ft in summer, 9 to 30 ft once it turns cold. The chart's best answer is Deep basin — deep basin, 30 ft, prime for summer. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a flasher + fly (green/white) or a magnum spoon on downrigger.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 4 to 30 ft chart-limited; documented 5 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (25 ft) | Trolled spoon (orange/gold), Stickbait off planer boards |
| Summer | 9 to 30 ft chart-limited; documented 50 to 120 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep basin (30 ft) | Flasher + fly (green/white), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 6 to 30 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 50 ft | dawn & dusk | Break off the point (25 ft) | J-plug (glow), Flasher + fly |
| Winter | 9 to 30 ft chart-limited; documented 30 to 90 ft | midday | Deep basin (30 ft) | Small spoon on a slow troll, Stickbait deep |
Early season coho salmon use the shallows, holding in 3 to 25 ft. Summer is a 9 to 30 ft game here, winter a 9 to 30 ft one. The chart's best answer is Deep basin — deep basin, 30 ft, prime for summer. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a dodger + fly or a medium spoon above the thermocline and you're in the game.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Main-lake point (5 ft) | Small orange dodger + peanut fly, Thin spoon (orange/silver) |
| Summer | 9 to 30 ft chart-limited; documented 30 to 70 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep basin (30 ft) | Dodger + fly, Medium spoon above the thermocline |
| Fall | 6 to 30 ft chart-limited; documented 8 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Secondary point (7 ft) | Casting spoon, Spinner (chartreuse) |
| Winter | 9 to 30 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 60 ft | midday | Deep basin (30 ft) | Small spoon, slow troll |
Spring puts cisco (lake herring) in skinny water — 8 to 30 ft is the zone. Summer fish stay in 9 to 30 ft, and winter fish hold in 9 to 30 ft. Spring cisco (lake herring) concentrate at Deep basin, a prime-rated deep basin around 30 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning. A vertical flutter spoon (small) or a drop-shot micro plastic covers the summer program.
Depth note: when a documented seasonal range extends below this chart, the table shows the deepest mapped working water, not a verified holding depth.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 8 to 30 ft chart-limited; documented 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Deep basin (30 ft) | Small silver spoon, Tiny swim jig (white) |
| Summer | 9 to 30 ft chart-limited; documented 40 to 80 ft | dawn | Deep basin (30 ft) | Vertical flutter spoon (small), Drop-shot micro plastic |
| Fall | 5 to 25 ft | dusk & dawn | Break off the point (25 ft) | Small casting spoon, Inline spinner (silver) |
| Winter | 9 to 30 ft chart-limited; documented 20 to 60 ft | dawn | Deep basin (30 ft) | Small jigging spoon (glow/silver), Tungsten jig + minnow head |
Woods, Lake of the also holds walleye (9 to 30 ft in summer), yellow perch (10 to 30 ft in summer), 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), white perch (9 to 30 ft in summer), crappie (10 to 25 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 (9 to 30 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
6 pieces of structure are mapped here — Deep basin, around 30 ft, is the deepest of them.
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Michigan waters are set by the Michigan DNR — and special regulations can apply to Woods, Lake of the specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official Michigan fishing regulations →
Woods, Lake of the is about 30 ft (9 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart comes from Michigan Department of Natural Resources bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled.
Anglers target brook trout, rainbow trout, brown trout, chinook salmon, coho salmon, cisco (lake herring), walleye, yellow perch, northern pike, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, rock bass, white perch, crappie, bluegill, pumpkinseed, brown bullhead, burbot on Woods, Lake of the. 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.
Deep basin is the top-rated area: a deep basin in about 30 ft of water that rates prime for chinook salmon in summer. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.
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.
Fishing on Woods, Lake of the is regulated by the Michigan DNR. Check the official Michigan regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Pine Lake 3 mi · Elbow Lake 4 mi · Cool Lake 4 mi · Sand Lake 5 mi · Bass Lake 7 mi · Hoags Lake 8 mi · Loon Lake 8 mi · Sauble Lake #3 8 mi · Chancellor Lake 8 mi · Sauble Lake #1 9 mi · Gun Lake 9 mi · Ford Lake 9 mi
See how Woods, Lake of the stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Michigan · best smallmouth bass lakes in Michigan · best walleye lakes in Michigan · best northern pike lakes in Michigan
More water nearby: Manistee County fishing maps (10 charts). Browse all Michigan fishing maps. See every water on DepthScout. Depth data: Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Inland lake maps. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.