Kent Lake fishing: Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Smallmouth Bass

Target species: Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, Yellow Perch
Boat: 1 ramp or launch on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at Kent Lake Dam Portage.

The lake

Kent Lake covers 1,040 acres in Michigan, across Oakland County. It is a lake: 91.1% of it is 12 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 38 feet (11.6 m). Our records hold 19 species for this water.

7 target fish, led by Largemouth Bass

  • Largemouth Bass — Feeding water: 65–85°F.
  • Northern Pike — Feeding water: 50–75°F.
  • Smallmouth Bass — Feeding water: 60–75°F.
  • Walleye — Feeding water: 50–75°F.
  • Bluegill — Feeding water: 70–85°F.
  • Pumpkinseed — Feeding water: 65–80°F.
  • Yellow Perch — Feeding water: 45–75°F.

Also recorded here: Black Crappie, Black Redhorse, White Sucker, Warmouth, Green Sunfish, Redear, Longnose Gar, Brown Bullhead, Yellow Bullhead, Common Carp, Golden Shiner, Brook Silverside.

Kensington metropark fishing kent lake.JPG
Dwight Burdette · CC BY 3.0

Depth and bottom

Deepest measured point: at least 38 ft (11.6 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. 91.1% of the water is 12 feet or shallower. We hold 61 depth contour lines for this water.

  • 0–2 ft: 19.6% of the water
  • 2–4 ft: 22.9% of the water
  • 4–6 ft: 24.4% of the water
  • 6–8 ft: 14.9% of the water
  • 8–10 ft: 7.5% of the water
  • 10–12 ft: 1.8% of the water
  • 12–14 ft: 1.7% of the water
  • 14–16 ft: 2% of the water
  • 16–18 ft: 1.9% of the water
  • 18–20 ft: 1% of the water
  • 20–22 ft: 0.5% of the water
  • 22–24 ft: 0.4% of the water
  • 24–26 ft: 0.4% of the water
  • 26–28 ft: 0.4% of the water
  • 28–30 ft: 0.4% of the water
  • 30–32 ft: 0.3% of the water
  • 32–34 ft: 0.2% of the water

Stocking: 940,221 fish, 1979–2017

Michigan DNR records list 940,221 fish released into this water from 1979 to 2017. The latest stocking on record is from 2017, more than three years ago.

Kent Lake - panoramio.jpg
Colin Andersen Photo… · CC BY-SA 3.0
  • Walleye: 515,688 in 1980–2017
  • Bluegill: 214,163 in 1997
  • Northern Pike: 210,070 in 1979–2005

One more species on the stocking list.

1 ramp or launch on this water

On this water we hold 1 hand launch.

Orchard Lake Village, Michigan (21514479968).jpg
Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0

Car-top and kayak launches — no trailer

  • Kent Lake Dam Portage — restrooms. On Huron River, Island Lake State Recreation Area. phone 810-229-7067

The place listed has no fee or opening hours on file: a blank means we hold no such field, not that it is free or always open, and this list may not be complete.

What is hard here

With 91.1% of the water 12 feet or less, low level turns the flats into hazards. Only 1 public ramp is 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.