Barrett Lake, Michigan: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Set in Iron County, Michigan, this is Barrett Lake. The bank gives way to mixed forest. It covers about 10 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. By elevation it is in the upper part of our Michigan listings. Iron River sits 12 miles from the bank. Stambaugh, Iron River follows at 13 miles, then Crystal Falls at 16 miles. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Barrett Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Across Iron County, recorded fish include brown trout, yellow perch and northern pike. The county list is broader than any single water. Barrett Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 64°F and January at 10°F. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Count the season from break-up, usually late April. In an average year the thaw lands around late April and the freeze near late November. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. Barrett Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Snake Rapids-net River Boat Launch sits about half a mile away and carries the launch. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Should this one be busy, Porter Lake is 4.6 miles off. None of that is settled for Barrett Lake in what we hold.