Big Dollar Lake Fishing near Newberry, Michigan

• Overview

  Big Dollar Lake stands in Mackinac County, Michigan. What surrounds it is lake country bush. It measures about 63 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. With about 1.3 miles of edge, you can try several depths in one session. Newberry sits 15 miles from the bank. Saint Ignace follows at 36 miles, then Manistique at 48 miles. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Big Dollar Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Records held for Mackinac County cover white sucker, rainbow smelt, yellow perch and rock bass. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. On Big Dollar Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 64°F at the top of summer and 16°F at the bottom of winter. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Winter locks it down, and mid April brings it back. In an average year the thaw lands around mid April and the freeze near early December. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. It holds true on Big Dollar Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Failing this one, try Little Dollar Lake, 0.7 miles away. Nothing here settles the position at Big Dollar Lake for certain.