Big Lick Lake Fishing near West Ishpeming, Michigan

• Overview

  Look for Big Lick Lake in Marquette County, Michigan. The bank gives way to mixed forest. Small at around 11 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. It is high ground by Michigan standards. The nearest town is West Ishpeming, 18 miles away. For a city, Green Bay is 123 miles off. Being near a boundary, it pays to know which side you are fishing.

• Where to Fish on Big Lick Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Records held for Marquette County cover white sucker, yellow perch, rainbow smelt and smallmouth bass. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. The near bank of Big Lick Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 64°F and January near 11°F. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near late April. Average temperatures cross freezing around late April in spring and again near late November in autumn. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Expect Big Lick Lake to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Failing this one, try Lustig Lake, 0.4 miles away. Confirm access to Big Lick Lake locally before you travel.