Cookson Lake in Schoolcraft County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Cookson Lake is a Schoolcraft County water, Michigan side. Height above sea level is 758 feet. It runs to roughly 54 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The nearest town is Munising, 15 miles away. Then Manistique, 22 miles, and Gladstone, 32 miles. The line between counties passes nearby, which can change who manages the water.

• Where to Fish on Cookson Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Schoolcraft County records list rainbow smelt, alewife and bloater among the fish reported. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. On Cookson Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 65°F and January reads 15°F. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. Count the season from break-up, usually mid April. Ice clears near mid April and comes back about early December in a typical year. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Time your trip to Cookson Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. A made slipway is half a mile from here, which settles the boat question. Overnight stays are possible about half a mile out, where camping is mapped. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Red Lake, 0.5 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Nothing on Cookson Lake should be assumed from this page alone.