Cedar Lake Fishing near Manistique, Michigan

• Overview

  You will find Cedar Lake in Schoolcraft County, Michigan. The setting is pine and birch. The water covers some 109 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The edge runs 1.6 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. It is among the larger waters listed here for Schoolcraft County. Supplies mean a trip to Manistique, 17 miles off. Newberry is 28 miles away, with Munising at 40 miles. The boundary is close enough to be worth checking before you fish.

• Where to Fish on Cedar Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. County-wide records name rainbow smelt, alewife and bloater. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. On Cedar Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 65°F and January reads 16°F. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Winter locks it down, and mid April brings it back. Expect the water usable from around mid April until roughly early December. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. The season on Cedar Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. For a change of water, Calspar Quarry Pool is 2.1 miles distant. What applies at Cedar Lake may have changed since it was mapped.