Furnace Lake near Munising: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Out in Alger County, Michigan, sits Furnace Lake. The water sits 604 feet up. Surface area runs to about 20 acres — small enough to read in one session. By elevation it sits in the lower part of our Michigan listings. Nearest place of any size is Munising, 3.5 miles away. Then Harvey, 31 miles, and K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base, 32 miles. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Furnace Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Species logged across Alger County include yellow perch, rainbow smelt and northern pike. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Furnace Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 64°F, while January sits near 17°F. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Ice-out usually falls in mid April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Climate averages put the opening at about mid April and the closing near early December. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. Furnace Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. There is a car park half a mile from the bank. A platform or pier sits within half a mile. There is camping recorded roughly half a mile off. Mapping shows a picnic spot within half a mile. Mapping records toilets within half a mile. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Cedar Bog Lake at 2.7 miles is the sensible second choice. For Furnace Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.