Fishing at Altman Lake, Wexford County, Michigan

• Overview

  This water sits in Wexford County, Michigan. This is mixed forest ground. It covers about 5 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Wexford County. The nearest place of any size is Cadillac, 9.8 miles away. Manton follows at 11 miles, then Kingsley at 18 miles. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Altman Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Fish documented in Wexford County include bluegill, yellow perch and rock bass. The county list is broader than any single water. At Altman Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 67°F in July and bottom out at 18°F in January. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Ice-out usually falls in mid April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. The open-water window runs from around mid April to about early December in an average year. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. On Altman Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Mapping is blank for access, so scout the approach before committing the car. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Failing this one, try Meauwataka Lake, 1.7 miles away. Nothing on Altman Lake should be assumed from this page alone.