Font Lake, Michigan: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Set in Charlevoix County, Michigan, this is Font Lake. The country round it is mixed forest from end to end. Roughly 360 acres of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. It is among the larger waters listed here for Charlevoix County. For a base, Charlevoix sits 32 miles out. After that come Harbor Springs at 34 miles and Bay Harbor at 34 miles. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Font Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Records held for Charlevoix County cover rainbow smelt, alewife and shortjaw cisco. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. The shape of Font Lake decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 66°F for July and 20°F for January. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near mid April. The water is typically free of ice between mid April and mid December. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. The season on Font Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. A launch point is recorded some half a mile off. A camping area sits within half a mile of here. A toilet block sits 0.9 miles away. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Should this one be busy, Round Lake is 1.7 miles off. Check the position at Font Lake before loading the car.