Fishing Grosse Lake in Houghton County, Michigan

• Overview

  Grosse Lake lies within the bounds of Houghton County, Michigan. Land around it is lake country bush. It covers about 2 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Our Houghton County list holds plenty of bigger water. Iron River sits 23 miles from here and is the nearest stop. Green Bay is the closest city, 136 miles away. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Grosse Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Records held for Houghton County cover rainbow smelt, bloater and cisco. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. The shape of Grosse Lake decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 10°F in January to roughly 64°F in July. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Count the season from break-up, usually late April. The open-water window runs from around late April to about late November in an average year. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Anyone fishing Grosse Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. There is a slipway at Tepee Lake Boat Launch, roughly half a mile off. A parking area is marked roughly half a mile out. For walleye, a jig and minnow near the bottom is the standard; evenings beat middays. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. For a change of water, Syrup Lake is 0.5 miles distant. Ask locally about Grosse Lake if anything is unclear.