Lake whitefish fishing in Lake Michigan

In Lake Michigan, lake whitefish peak November–March and are around year-round, spawning in November–December, according to Fish Scouter's month-by-month season calendar. January: Green Bay and Bays de Noc ice whitefish — jigging spoons and wax worms.

1. JanuaryPeakGreen Bay and Bays de Noc ice whitefish — jigging spoons and wax worms.
2. FebruaryPeakIce fishing peaks on the bays; coho may show off Indiana. Walleye at dusk on Green Bay; shore-cast the Indiana warm-water discharges if the lake is open.
3. MarchPeakSpring coho on the southern shore; steelhead run the rivers. Michigan City, Portage and the Chicago harbors — spawn and nightcrawlers under a float. Fox River walleye run.
4. AprilAround
5. MayAround
6. JuneAround
7. JulyAround
8. AugustAround
9. SeptemberAround
10. OctoberAround
11. NovemberSpawningWhitefish run into the Menominee and the harbors to spawn.
12. DecemberSpawningWinter steelhead and the first bay ice. Manistee and Muskegon steelhead on mild days; wait for safe ice on Green Bay.

The salmon lake: open water to 900 feet with kings and coho over the thermocline, the river mouths and pier heads of Michigan's west coast where the runs stage, the shallow southern end where the spring coho come in, and Green Bay — a walleye, pike, muskie, perch and whitefish fishery all its own.

Fish Scouter charts 434 lake spots in the Lake Michigan map area — the kinds lake whitefish hold on.

• Wax wormsOne or two on a tiny ice jig or a #10 hook for bluegill, perch and crappie, under the ice or a float.
• Minnows (fatheads, shiners)Hooked lightly through the lips or behind the dorsal on a #6 to #2 hook under a slip bobber for crappie, perch and walleye; a big golden shiner on a 2/0 to 4/0 for largemouth, pike and stripers.

• Leader10–20 lb fluorocarbon
• Hook#2–3/0
• Jig head1/8–1/2 oz
• Braid10–30 lb

Feeds in 34–60°F water, best at 40–52°F.

All about lake whitefish · Lake Michigan, the whole year