Fishing at F Pool, Schoolcraft County, Michigan

• Overview

  This water sits in Schoolcraft County, Michigan. Height above sea level is 689 feet. It runs to roughly 175 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. On our Schoolcraft County list it sits near the top for size. Newberry lies 22 miles from the water. The big place round here is Green Bay, 158 miles distant. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on F Pool

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. Built water gives depth close in, which suits a bank angler. Survey and observation records for Schoolcraft County include rainbow smelt, alewife, bloater, yellow perch and white sucker. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. The near bank of F Pool is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 65°F on average, January about 15°F. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Break-up comes around mid April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Averages place the thaw at mid April and the freeze at early December. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Expect F Pool to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Parking is mapped about half a mile from the bank. A jetty or pier is mapped about half a mile from here. Facilities run to toilets half a mile from the water. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Failing this one, try I Pool, 0.6 miles away. What applies at F Pool may have changed since it was mapped.