Cub Lake in Kalkaska County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Cub Lake stands in Kalkaska County, Michigan. Elevation runs to 1,175 feet. It measures about 57 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. With about 1.1 miles of edge, you can try several depths in one session. Size puts it in the front rank of our Kalkaska County list. Kalkaska is the closest place, 11 miles off. The big place round here is Grand Rapids, 126 miles distant. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Cub Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Records held for Kalkaska County cover yellow perch, white sucker and rock bass. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. At Cub Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 67°F, with January the cold end at about 18°F. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Once it clears, about mid April, the fishing comes on quickly. Break-up near mid April, freeze-up near early December: that is the shape of an average year. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. On Cub Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Launch at Cub Lake Public Boat Launch, half a mile from the water. Parking is close: a car park sits half a mile from the bank. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Bear Lake, 0.8 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Check the position at Cub Lake before loading the car.