Carpenter Lake Fishing near East Jordan, Michigan

• Overview

  Carpenter Lake is a Charlevoix County water, Michigan side. Elevation runs to 787 feet. Roughly 28 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. Shoreline comes to about 0.9 miles, small enough to learn in a day. East Jordan sits 8.3 miles from here and is the nearest stop. Green Bay sits 142 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The county edge is within a short distance of the bank.

• Where to Fish on Carpenter Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Fish documented in Charlevoix County include rainbow smelt, alewife, shortjaw cisco and bloater. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. On Carpenter Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 20°F in January to roughly 67°F in July. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Count the season from break-up, usually mid April. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about mid April until roughly mid December. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. On Carpenter Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. For a change of water, Skinner Lake is 0.7 miles distant. What applies at Carpenter Lake may have changed since it was mapped.