Blue Lake in Clare County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Michigan holds Blue Lake, in Clare County. The water sits 951 feet up. At 22 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. You are 10 miles from Gladwin. Then Prudenville, 13 miles, and Harrison, 14 miles. Alternatives close at hand: Streaked Lake after 0.6 miles, 0.8 miles away is Island Lake, Trout Lake after 1 mile, 1.2 miles away is Grass Lake and House Lake after 1.4 miles. The boundary is close enough to be worth checking before you fish.

• Where to Fish on Blue Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Species logged across Clare County include bluegill, largemouth bass, pink salmon and northern pike. The county list is broader than any single water. Work Blue Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 68°F in July and bottom out at 18°F in January. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Break-up comes around early April, and the run that follows is short and strong. The lid tends to go about early April and return around early December. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. The season on Blue Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. Streaked Lake Boat Launch is the mapped launch, some half a mile from here. Expect 0.9 miles away in from where the car goes. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. If the gate is shut, Streaked Lake at 0.6 miles is the nearest alternative. Ask locally about Blue Lake if anything is unclear.