Clear Slough in Schoolcraft County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  The Schoolcraft County end of Michigan holds Clear Slough. The country here is mixed forest. Roughly 25 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. It lies lower than most water we list in Michigan. Manistique is the closest town at 5.8 miles. Further out sit Munising (33 miles) and Newberry (40 miles). No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Clear Slough

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Open biodiversity records for Schoolcraft County list rainbow smelt, alewife, bloater and yellow perch. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. On Clear Slough the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 65°F for July and 15°F for January. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near mid April. Climate averages put the opening at about mid April and the closing near early December. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. That is the shape of the year on Clear Slough.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Public mapping records no formal access here, so plan for a walk and soft ground. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. If the gate is shut, Camp Number 11 Slough at 0.9 miles is the nearest alternative. Confirm access to Clear Slough locally before you travel.