Upper Herring Lake fishing: Northern Pike, Walleye, Smallmouth Bass

Target species: Northern Pike, Walleye, Smallmouth Bass, White Sucker, Bluegill, Rock Bass, Yellow Perch
Boat: 1 ramp or launch on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at Upper Herring Lake, 1 lane.

The lake

Upper Herring Lake covers 590 acres in Michigan, across Benzie County. It is a lake: the deepest point measured is at least 25 feet (7.6 m). Our records hold 14 species for this water.

7 target fish, led by Northern Pike

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

Also recorded here: Pumpkinseed, Brown Trout, Longnose Gar, Brown Bullhead, Yellow Bullhead, Spottail Shiner, Banded Killifish.

Sunset glow over Upper Herring Lake - Flickr - rkramer62.jpg
Rachel Kramer from Grandville, MI, United States · CC BY 2.0

Stocking: 544,053 fish, 1987–2025

Michigan DNR records list 544,053 fish released into this water from 1987 to 2025.

  • Walleye: 544,053 in 1987–2025

Depth and bottom

Deepest measured point: at least 25 ft (7.6 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. We hold 27 depth contour lines for this water.

Upper Herring Lake.jpg
Gpwitteveen · CC BY-SA 3.0
  • 0–2 ft: 3.1% of the water
  • 2–4 ft: 8.3% of the water
  • 4–6 ft: 8.8% of the water
  • 6–8 ft: 5.4% of the water
  • 8–10 ft: 4.3% of the water
  • 10–12 ft: 3.9% of the water
  • 12–14 ft: 4% of the water
  • 14–16 ft: 4.1% of the water
  • 16–18 ft: 4.5% of the water
  • 18–20 ft: 5.5% of the water
  • 20–22 ft: 6.8% of the water
  • 22–24 ft: 9.2% of the water
  • 24–25 ft: 32.1% of the water

Water and conditions

Water clarity runs 6.5–12.5 feet on our readings, averaging 9.1 feet, from 120 readings. Our water temperature readings average 65°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. pH averages 7.9. These readings span 2017–2023.

1 ramp or launch on this water

On this water we hold 1 trailer ramp.

Upper Herring Lake 2019 May 18 nature preserve.jpg
Gpwitteveen · CC BY-SA 4.0
  • Upper Herring Lake — 1 lane, restrooms. Orchard Beach State Park. phone 231-723-7422

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

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.