Murray Lake fishing: Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, Muskellunge

Target species: Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, Muskellunge, White Sucker, Black Crappie, Redfin Pickerel, Bluegill
Boat: 2 ramps and launches on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at Murray Lake East, 1 lane.

The lake

Murray Lake covers 308 acres in Michigan, across Kent County. It is a lake: 90% of it is 54 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 60 feet (18.3 m). Our records hold 18 species for this water.

Depth and bottom

Deepest measured point: at least 60 ft (18.3 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. 90% of the water is 54 feet or shallower. We hold 81 depth contour lines for this water.

  • 0–3 ft: 0.5% of the water
  • 3–6 ft: 1.7% of the water
  • 6–9 ft: 3.1% of the water
  • 9–12 ft: 4.6% of the water
  • 12–15 ft: 5.3% of the water
  • 15–18 ft: 6.1% of the water
  • 18–21 ft: 6.8% of the water
  • 21–24 ft: 7.2% of the water
  • 24–27 ft: 8.6% of the water
  • 27–30 ft: 8.8% of the water
  • 30–33 ft: 6.6% of the water
  • 33–36 ft: 5.8% of the water
  • 36–39 ft: 5.6% of the water
  • 39–42 ft: 4% of the water
  • 42–45 ft: 3.7% of the water
  • 45–48 ft: 4.1% of the water
  • 48–51 ft: 4.2% of the water
  • 51–54 ft: 3.3% of the water
  • 54–57 ft: 2% of the water
  • 57–60 ft: 8.1% of the water

7 target fish, led by Northern Pike

  • Northern Pike — Feeding water: 50–75°F.
  • Largemouth Bass — Feeding water: 65–85°F.
  • Muskellunge — Feeding water: 65–75°F.
  • White Sucker — Feeding water: 50–70°F.
  • Black Crappie — Feeding water: 65–75°F.
  • Redfin Pickerel — Feeding water: 65–75°F.
  • Bluegill — Feeding water: 70–85°F.

Also recorded here: Cisco, Rock Bass, Yellow Perch, Warmouth, Green Sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Bowfin, Brown Bullhead, Golden Shiner, Brook Silverside, Banded Killifish.

Water and conditions

Water clarity runs 5.5–13.5 feet on our readings, averaging 9.3 feet, from 181 readings. Our water temperature readings average 76°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. These readings span 2017–2023.

Stocking: 120,162 fish, 1979–2022

Michigan DNR records list 120,162 fish released into this water from 1979 to 2022. The latest stocking on record is from 2022, more than three years ago.

Aerial imagery: USDA NAIP 2022
USDA Farm Service Agency, NAIP 2022 aerial imagery (USGS The National Map) · Public domain
  • Muskellunge: 106,892 in 1998–2022

One more species on the stocking list.

2 ramps and launches on this water

On this water we hold 2 trailer ramps.

  • Murray Lake East — 1 lane, restrooms. Ionia State Recreation Area. phone 616-527-3750
  • Murray Lake West — 1 lane, restrooms. Ionia State Recreation Area. phone 616-527-3750

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.

What is hard here

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.