Gordon Lake Fishing Guide, Manistee County, Michigan

• Overview

  Gordon Lake is one of the Manistee County listings for Michigan. The setting is rolling bush on every side. At roughly 7 acres, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. Most waters listed here for Manistee County are larger. Head to Manistee, 12 miles away, for anything you forgot. For a city, Green Bay is 91 miles off. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Gordon Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. County-wide records name alewife, rainbow smelt and bloater. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. On Gordon Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 22°F and July at about 68°F, the water has a wide range to work through. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Break-up comes around early April, and the run that follows is short and strong. The season between ice runs from about early April to mid December. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Time your trip to Gordon Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. The nearest alternative is Watson Lake, 2.5 miles out. Treat Gordon Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.