Elk Lake fishing: Muskellunge, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout

Target species: Muskellunge, Northern Pike, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Lake Trout, Burbot, Lake Whitefish
Boat: 2 ramps and launches on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at Elk Lake, 1 lane.

The lake

Elk Lake covers 8,106 acres in Michigan, across Antrim County. It is a lake: the deepest point measured is at least 150 feet (45.7 m). Our records hold 15 species for this water.

Elk River.jpg
Bernt Rostad · CC BY 2.0

Depth and bottom

Deepest measured point: at least 150 ft (45.7 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. We hold 22 depth contour lines for this water.

Elk Lake (16079839790).jpg
Jennifer C. · CC BY 2.0
  • 0–10 ft: 21.9% of the water
  • 10–20 ft: 11.3% of the water
  • 20–30 ft: 7.9% of the water
  • 30–40 ft: 6% of the water
  • 40–50 ft: 4.5% of the water
  • 50–60 ft: 4.1% of the water
  • 60–70 ft: 3.6% of the water
  • 70–80 ft: 3.2% of the water
  • 80–90 ft: 3.1% of the water
  • 90–100 ft: 3.6% of the water
  • 100–110 ft: 3.4% of the water
  • 110–120 ft: 3.2% of the water
  • 120–130 ft: 2.9% of the water
  • 130–140 ft: 3% of the water
  • 140–150 ft: 18.3% of the water

7 target fish, led by Muskellunge

  • Muskellunge — Feeding water: 65–75°F.
  • Northern Pike — Feeding water: 50–75°F.
  • Rainbow Trout — Feeding water: 50–65°F.
  • Smallmouth Bass — Feeding water: 60–75°F.
  • Lake Trout — Feeding water: 50–65°F.
  • Burbot — Feeding water: 40–50°F.
  • Lake Whitefish — Feeding water: 40–55°F.

Also recorded here: White Sucker, Bluegill, Cisco, Yellow Perch, Pumpkinseed, Brown Trout, Longnose Gar, Mottled Sculpin.

Elk Lake
Bernt Rostad · CC BY 2.0

Stocking: 1,899,154 fish, 1990–2026

Michigan DNR records list 1,899,154 fish released into this water from 1990 to 2026.

  • Rainbow Trout: 970,743 in 1990–2018
  • Brown Trout: 788,411 in 1990–2026
  • Lake Trout: 140,000 in 1979–1983

2 ramps and launches on this water

On this water we hold 1 trailer ramp and 1 boat ramp.

  • Elk Lake — 1 lane, open 4am–11pm, restrooms. Traverse City State Park. phone 231-922-5270
  • Whitewater Township Park — Whitewater Township. phone 231-267-5141

Fee and opening hours are blank for all 2 places in this list: a blank means we hold no such field, not that it is free or always open, and this list may not be complete.

Water and conditions

Our water temperature readings average 66°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. pH averages 6.9. These readings span 2022–2023.

What is hard here

Wind is the limit, not the fish: 8,106 acres of open water build a short steep chop, and there is no shelter in the middle. Only 2 public ramps are on file, so the launch decides where you fish.

Where this data comes from

  • Michigan EGLE — Michigan EGLE: depth contours: class A, a survey of the bottom.
  • Webster, K.E., McCullough, I.M., Soranno, P.A. LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0, EDI, doi:10.6073/pasta/64ddc4d04661d9aef4bd702dc5d8984f (CC BY 4.0); Cheruvelil et al. LAGOS-US LOCUS v1.0 (EDI) — LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0: Lake depth for 17,675 lakes in the conterminous U.S.: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.