Armstrong Lake Fishing near Greilickville, Michigan

• Overview

  Armstrong Lake sits in Leelanau County, out in Michigan. The surface lies 820 feet up. It runs to roughly 43 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The whole outline is near 1.1 miles, and most of it is walkable. Greilickville sits 13 miles from the bank. After that come Traverse City at 14 miles and Frankfort at 19 miles. This one sits near enough to a boundary to be worth checking.

• Where to Fish on Armstrong Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Survey and observation records for Leelanau County include alewife, rock bass and yellow perch. At least one recorded species is protected in parts of its range; read the local rules before targeting anything. On Armstrong Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July near 68°F and January near 20°F on the long-run figures. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around mid April. Averages suggest open water from about mid April through to roughly mid December. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. The season on Armstrong Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Armstrong Lake Boat Launch sits about 170 yards away and carries the launch. You can leave the car about half a mile from the water. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Wells Lake, 0.8 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. For Armstrong Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.