Four Lakes Fishing in Emmet County, Michigan

• Overview

  Set in Emmet County, Michigan, this is Four Lakes. Pine and birch runs right down to the water. Harbor Springs is the closest place, 8 miles off. For a city, Green Bay is 168 miles off. Other water within reach: Larks Lake near enough 5.5 miles, Round Lake lies 8.4 miles on, Crooked Lake near enough 8.8 miles, Arnott Lake lies 9 miles on and Mud Lake near enough 9.1 miles. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Four Lakes

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Records held for Emmet County cover yellow perch, rock bass, smallmouth bass, bluegill and white sucker. The county list is broader than any single water. Read Four Lakes before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 18°F in January to roughly 67°F in July. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. After mid April the shallows warm and the fish move up. In an average year the thaw lands around mid April and the freeze near early December. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. The season on Four Lakes follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Larks Lake, 5.5 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Signs at Four Lakes carry more weight than any list.