Big Island Lake in Alger County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Set in Alger County, Big Island Lake is a Michigan water. The water sits 791 feet up. It runs to roughly 140 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Few waters listed in Alger County are bigger. The closest town, Munising, is 13 miles away. It is 139 miles to Green Bay, the nearest city. The boundary is close enough to be worth checking before you fish.

• Where to Fish on Big Island Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Records held for Alger County cover yellow perch, rainbow smelt, northern pike, white sucker and rock bass. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. The shape of Big Island Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 15°F to 65°F. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. The lid usually goes in mid April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Climate averages put the opening at about mid April and the closing near early December. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Big Island Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. You will be walking about half a mile from the nearest car park. A campsite lies half a mile away for anyone staying over. Facilities run to toilets half a mile from the water. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Failing this one, try Mid Lake, 0.5 miles away. Treat Big Island Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.