Bear Lake, Michigan: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Within Chippewa County, Michigan, you have Bear Lake. Elevation runs to 607 feet. Small at around 7 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Most waters listed here for Chippewa County are larger. Thessalon at 27 miles is the nearest place to stop. Then Cheboygan, 33 miles, and Saint Ignace, 36 miles. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Bear Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Reported across Chippewa County: rainbow smelt, bloater, lake whitefish, alewife and lake trout. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. On Bear Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 66°F; the cold one sits at 17°F. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Break-up comes around mid April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Open water usually runs from mid April until about early December. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Time your trip to Bear Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. Elise M Kummer Nature Preserve covers this ground, which means extra rules to check. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. The nearest alternative is Brown Lake, 0.9 miles out. Treat access at Bear Lake as something to verify.