Fishing Whitmore Lake

Whitmore Lake's 667 acres offer solid bluegill fishing with 73% of fish at legal size averaging 6.7 inches, earning a 'good' population quality rating of 5.2. The bluegill population shows an interesting gap in age VI fish, likely from a spawning failure six years ago, which has allowed older bluegills to grow faster than normal despite overall below-average growth rates (-0.6 inches). Largemouth bass fishing is challenging with no fish over 13 inches found in intensive sampling, reflecting consistently poor growth (-1.2 inches below state average) that has persisted since the 1970s - even the 14-inch size limit implemented in 1993 may not help due to these growth issues. The lake's deep north-south trench reaches 69 feet with extensive shoals covering over half the lake in less than 10 feet of water. Bottom substrate transitions from sand in shallows to fibrous peat at 5-20 feet, then pulpy peat in deep areas, with aquatic vegetation covering most shoals but rarely interfering with fishing. Northern pike are scarce but those caught show exceptional growth rates, with recent fish measuring 23-27 inches - their low numbers stem from limited spawning habitat in this heavily developed lake. The connection to Horseshoe Lake via pumping has introduced black crappie since 1937, though current crappie average only 6.0 inches with many slow-growing two-year-olds. Pumpkinseed sunfish show the best panfish growth at -0.2 inches below average, benefiting from abundant snail habitat in the extensive shallows. Heavy boating pressure from various water sports interferes with fishing during mid-morning to early evening in summer months. The lake maintains its water level through pumping from Horseshoe Lake rather than natural flow, and this 'predator-poor' system supports abundant small panfish but lacks the large gamefish typical of similar-sized waters.