Ford Lake, Michigan: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Ford Lake sits in Schoolcraft County, out in Michigan. The water sits 709 feet up. Around 68 acres of surface means several distinct areas to work. Bank access stretches around 1.6 miles in total. Supplies mean a trip to Manistique, 21 miles off. Newberry follows at 24 miles, then Munising at 40 miles. Close by you have: Tad Lake 1 mile, Chip Lake 1.3 miles away, Tee Lake 1.6 miles, Lake Anne Louise 1.9 miles away and Moon Lake 2.2 miles. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Ford Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Schoolcraft County records list rainbow smelt, alewife, bloater and yellow perch among the fish reported. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Anyone new to Ford Lake should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 16°F in January and 65°F in July. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around mid April. Open water usually runs from mid April until about early December. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. The season on Ford Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Public data shows nothing built here, so treat the whole approach as informal. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Should this one be busy, Tad Lake is 1 mile off. Confirm access to Ford Lake locally before you travel.