Fishing at Glitter Lake, Houghton County, Michigan

• Overview

  Glitter Lake lies within the bounds of Houghton County, Michigan. Height above sea level is 1,493 feet. At about 28 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. With about 1.0 miles of edge, you can try several depths in one session. By elevation it is in the upper part of our Michigan listings. Some 23 miles away sits Iron River, the nearest settlement. It is 136 miles to Green Bay, the nearest city. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Glitter Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Across Houghton County, recorded fish include rainbow smelt, bloater, cisco and yellow perch. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. On Glitter Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 64°F in July and bottom out at 10°F in January. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. Look for the thaw near late April; the fishing lifts straight after. On the long-run averages the water opens up around late April and starts locking again about late November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. It holds true on Glitter Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. For walleye, a jig and minnow near the bottom is the standard; evenings beat middays. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Glare Lake, 0.3 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Nothing here settles the position at Glitter Lake for certain.