Drowned river mouth lake

Manistee Lake

Manistee County, Michigan

Manistee Lake is at the city of Manistee in Manistee County. It is about five miles long and links to Lake Michigan by a 1.5 mile channel.

Air temp Loading current temperature…

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Current air temperature at Manistee Lake (National Weather Service) ↗

Surface area1,051 acres

Max depth50 ft

Shoreline—

Boat motorsCheck local rules

Species

Fishery rating out of 5.

Walleye●●●○○

Points, flats and reefs at low light. Jigs and live bait early, crankbaits and crawler harnesses in summer.

Yellow Perch●●●○○

Schools on mud and sand flats. Great through the ice.

Bluegill●●●○○

Weed beds and shallow flats in late spring.

Northern Pike●●●○○

Weed edges and bays. Spoons, spinnerbaits and tip-ups through the ice.

Smallmouth Bass●●●○○

Rock, gravel and points. Tubes, jerkbaits and drop-shots.

Chinook Salmon●●○○○

Staging fish in the fall runs

Boat launches

5 launch sites. Fees and hours change, so confirm before you go.

First Street launchRamp
On the channel to Lake Michigan. 16 ramps, parking for nearly 300 vehicles and a fish cleaning station.Directions ↗
StronachRamp
South end of the lake. Maintained by the DNR.Directions ↗
Arthur StreetRamp
In the city of Manistee. Maintained by the city.Directions ↗
Eastlake Village ParkPublic
Includes a campground.Directions ↗
More public accessPublic
See the Michigan DNR or lake website for all ramps and feesDirections ↗

Size & creel limits

Minimum size and daily limit for each species in Manistee Lake are published by the state. Look up the current size and creel limits for this lake directly: Michigan Department of Natural Resources ↗

Rules change, so confirm current limits with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources before you fish.

Bait & tackle nearby

No shops listed yet for this lake. Use the search link below.

Search more bait shops near Manistee Lake ↗

Local tips

Most of the lake is deeper than 15 feet, so fish the drop-offs.
The lake is known for staging salmon and steelhead runs.
Check the DNR consumption advisories before keeping fish.

View on interactive map

Zoom and pan on a street, satellite or terrain map. Red pins are boat launches.

More Michigan lakes

Torch Lake (Antrim County) Lake Charlevoix Burt Lake Mullett Lake Lake Gogebic Manistique Lake Black Lake Crystal Lake All Michigan lakes →

Always wear a life jacket and check your state's current regulations before you fish.