Garkinghouse Lake, Michigan: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Garkinghouse Lake is set in Chippewa County, Michigan. Around the bank it is mixed forest. With some 25 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. The whole outline is near 1.0 miles, and most of it is walkable. Sault Ste. Marie sits 17 miles from the bank. The nearest city of size is Greater Sudbury, 170 miles away. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Garkinghouse Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Open biodiversity records for Chippewa County list rainbow smelt, bloater, lake whitefish, alewife and lake trout. The county list is broader than any single water. Work Garkinghouse Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 65°F; by January the average is down near 13°F. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. The lid usually goes in mid April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Break-up near mid April, freeze-up near early December: that is the shape of an average year. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. The season on Garkinghouse Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Eagle Lake at 1.2 miles is the sensible second choice. For Garkinghouse Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.