Ashford Lake Fishing Guide, Schoolcraft County, Michigan

• Overview

  This water sits in Schoolcraft County, Michigan. Height above sea level is 679 feet. At roughly 14 acres, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. By elevation it sits in the lower part of our Michigan listings. Manistique sits 13 miles from the bank. The nearest city of size is Green Bay, 140 miles away. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Ashford Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Survey and observation records for Schoolcraft County include rainbow smelt, alewife and bloater. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. On Ashford Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 15°F in January and 65°F in July. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Count the season from break-up, usually mid April. From about mid April to around early December, expect open water on the long-run figures. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. The season on Ashford Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Ashford.lake Boat Launch is the mapped launch, some 130 yards from here. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Trout Lake at 0.6 miles is the sensible second choice. Ask locally about Ashford Lake if anything is unclear.