Deepest lakes in Michigan: 10 lakes ranked by depth

Deepest first

1. Torch Lake

Torch Lake spreads over 18,800 acres. It lies near Rapid City. The fish here are smallmouth bass, walleye, lake trout and trout. The deepest water is around 285 ft. Its bed shows three steep ledges and an upper arm worth a first look. Torch Lake is Michigan's deepest inland lake and is famous for its turquoise, Caribbean-like clear water. It is a clear lake, so long casts and a quiet approach pay off.

Torch Lake today: water temperature, bite times and the 3-D lake bed

2. Elk Lake

Elk Lake is a natural lake of some 7,730 acres. The lake is right by Elk Rapids. It holds lake trout, trout, smallmouth bass and muskie. The deepest water is around 192 ft. Its bed shows three point drop-offs and an upper arm worth a first look. Elk Lake is an oligotrophic, deep glacial lake connected to Torch Lake and Lake Skegemog through the Elk River chain of lakes. It is a clear lake, so long casts and a quiet approach pay off.

Elk Lake today: water temperature, bite times and the 3-D lake bed

3. Crystal Lake

At 9,850 acres of water, Crystal Lake is a good-sized lake. The lake is right by Beulah. Expect smallmouth bass, lake trout, trout and northern pike. It goes down to about 165 ft. On the 3-D map the bed has three point drop-offs and an upper arm: good places to start. Crystal Lake in Benzie County is Michigan's ninth-largest inland lake and is noted for its deep, clear water and steep drop-offs near shore. The water is known for being clear: lighter line and natural colours help.

Crystal Lake today: water temperature, bite times and the 3-D lake bed

4. Mullett Lake

Mullett Lake spreads over 17,400 acres. You will find it near Indian River. Expect walleye, smallmouth bass, northern pike and muskie. The deepest water is around 148 ft. Its bed shows four steep ledges worth a first look.

Mullett Lake today: water temperature, bite times and the 3-D lake bed

5. Higgins Lake

Higgins Lake covers some 9,600 acres. The lake is about 4.7 miles east of Roscommon. Lake trout, trout, smallmouth bass and northern pike are the draw. At about 135 ft deep, it stays cooler below the surface well into summer. The lake bed gives you three steep ledges and an upper arm to work. Higgins Lake is known for its exceptionally clear water, fed substantially by underwater springs, and is split between North and South Higgins Lake State Parks. It is a clear lake, so long casts and a quiet approach pay off.

Higgins Lake today: water temperature, bite times and the 3-D lake bed

6. Glen Lake

Glen Lake is a natural lake of 6,290 acres of water. The lake is about 13 miles northeast of Leland. Expect smallmouth bass, northern pike, trout and yellow perch. At about 130 ft deep, it stays cooler below the surface well into summer. Glen Lake, split into Big and Little Glen Lake, is famed for its brilliant turquoise clarity, fed largely by groundwater rather than surface runoff, and sits next to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The water is known for being clear: lighter line and natural colours help.

Glen Lake today: water temperature, bite times and the 3-D lake bed

7. Lake Charlevoix

Lake Charlevoix covers 17,200 acres. It lies right by Charlevoix. It holds smallmouth bass, walleye, lake trout and trout. The deepest water is around 122 ft. Its bed shows three point drop-offs and an upper arm worth a first look. Lake Charlevoix is Michigan's third-largest inland lake and connects to Lake Michigan via the Pine River and Round Lake at the town of Charlevoix.

Lake Charlevoix today: water temperature, bite times and the 3-D lake bed

8. Gull Lake

At some 2,030 acres, Gull Lake is small enough to learn in a few trips. It lies about 11 miles southwest of Kalamazoo. The fish here are largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, northern pike and lake trout. At about 110 ft deep, it stays cooler below the surface well into summer. Its bed shows three point drop-offs and an upper arm worth a first look. Gull Lake, mostly in Kalamazoo County, is one of southwest Michigan's deepest and clearest inland lakes and hosts a Michigan State University biological research station on its shore.

Gull Lake today: water temperature, bite times and the 3-D lake bed

9. Walloon Lake

Walloon Lake covers 4,320 acres of water. It lies about 1.7 miles northwest of Bay Harbor. The fish here are smallmouth bass, trout, lake trout and northern pike. At about 100 ft deep, it stays cooler below the surface well into summer. Walloon Lake is a deep, marl-bottomed lake in northern Michigan famed for its clarity and for its longtime association with author Ernest Hemingway's family summers. The water is known for being clear: lighter line and natural colours help.

Walloon Lake today: water temperature, bite times and the 3-D lake bed

10. Hubbard Lake

Hubbard Lake spreads over 8,850 acres of water. It lies next to Hubbard Lake. The fish here are walleye, smallmouth bass, northern pike and yellow perch. The deepest water is around 98 ft. Its bed shows four steep ledges worth a first look. Hubbard Lake is Michigan's twelfth-largest inland lake and drains over a small dam into the Thunder Bay River watershed, which was originally built to help float logs during the lumbering era.

Hubbard Lake today: water temperature, bite times and the 3-D lake bed

The clearest of them

Torch Lake, Elk Lake, Crystal Lake and Higgins Lake are known for clear water. On a clear lake fish see a long way: lighter line, natural colours and longer casts make the difference.

Fishing deep water

Deep lakes reward slow, vertical fishing: drop a jig or a spoon to the depth where fish show on the sonar and work it right there. In spring and fall the fish come shallow and any method works.