Lake Gogebic fishing: Walleye

Target species: Walleye
Boat: 3 ramps and launches on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at Bergland Dock, 2 lanes.

The lake

Lake Gogebic covers 13,068 acres in Michigan, across 2 counties: Ontonagon and Gogebic. It is a lake: 91.6% of it is 34 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 35 feet (10.7 m). Our records hold 3 species for this water.

Boardwalk at Lake Gogebic State Park (29940616062).jpg
Tony Webster from Minneapolis, Minnesota · CC BY-SA 2.0

Depth and bottom

Deepest measured point: at least 35 ft (10.7 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. 91.6% of the water is 34 feet or shallower. We hold 123 depth contour lines for this water.

Lake Gogebic State Park - Autumn (53741508459).jpg
Tony Webster · CC BY 2.0
  • 0–2 ft: 1.7% of the water
  • 2–4 ft: 2% of the water
  • 4–6 ft: 2.2% of the water
  • 6–8 ft: 2.3% of the water
  • 8–10 ft: 2.5% of the water
  • 10–12 ft: 3.3% of the water
  • 12–14 ft: 4.5% of the water
  • 14–16 ft: 4.1% of the water
  • 16–18 ft: 3.4% of the water
  • 18–20 ft: 3.2% of the water
  • 20–22 ft: 4% of the water
  • 22–24 ft: 3.8% of the water
  • 24–26 ft: 5.5% of the water
  • 26–28 ft: 7.2% of the water
  • 28–30 ft: 15.2% of the water
  • 30–32 ft: 17.6% of the water
  • 32–34 ft: 9.1% of the water
  • 34–35 ft: 8.5% of the water

The target fish: Walleye

  • Walleye — Feeding water: 50–75°F.

Also recorded here: Emerald Shiner, Fathead Minnow.

Lake Gogebic State Park sign.JPG
Skye Marthaler · CC BY-SA 3.0

Water and conditions

Water clarity runs 5.5–8.5 feet on our readings, averaging 7.1 feet, from 163 readings. Our water temperature readings average 66°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. These readings span 2017–2023.

Stocking: 4,236,500 fish, 1979–1997

Michigan DNR records list 4,236,500 fish released into this water from 1979 to 1997. The latest stocking on record is from 1997, more than three years ago.

  • Fathead Minnow: 2,652,000 in 1995–1997
  • Walleye: 1,522,000 in 1979–1981
  • Emerald Shiner: 31,250 in 1988

One more species on the stocking list.

3 ramps and launches on this water

On this water we hold 3 trailer ramps.

  • Bergland Dock — 2 lanes, restrooms. Lake Gogebic State Park. phone 906-842-3341 · website mcgi.state.mi.us/mrbis/BASDetail.aspx?sid=A-66-001
  • Lake Gogebic - East Shore — 2 lanes, restrooms. Lake Gogebic State Park. phone 906-842-3341 · website mcgi.state.mi.us/mrbis/BASDetail.aspx?sid=A-27-014
  • Lake Gogebic State Park — 2 lanes, open 8am–10pm. Lake Gogebic State Park. phone 906-842-3341 · website mcgi.state.mi.us/mrbis/BASDetail.aspx?sid=A-27-013

Fee and opening hours are blank for all 3 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.

What is hard here

Wind is the limit, not the fish: 13,068 acres of open water build a short steep chop, and there is no shelter in the middle.

Where this data comes from

  • Michigan EGLE — Michigan EGLE: depth contours: class A, a survey of the bottom.
  • EPA NLA — EPA National Lakes Assessment: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map, 2007.
  • 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.