Brown Lake in Chippewa County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  In Michigan, Brown Lake falls inside Chippewa County. The surface lies 633 feet up. This is a pocket water of some 16 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. Ground here is low by Michigan standards. The closest town, Thessalon, is 27 miles distant. Cheboygan follows at 34 miles, then Saint Ignace at 37 miles. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Brown Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. County-wide records name rainbow smelt, bloater and lake whitefish. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Read Brown Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 66°F and January near 17°F. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Ice-out usually falls in mid April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. In an average year the thaw lands around mid April and the freeze near early December. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Plan any trip to Brown Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. The water borders Elise M Kummer Nature Preserve, so expect the reserve rules to apply. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Bear Lake sits 0.9 miles off and takes the overflow. Nothing here settles the position at Brown Lake for certain.