Hanson Lake, Michigan: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Hanson Lake lies in Menominee County, Michigan. The bank gives way to mixed forest. It measures about 103 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. There is roughly 2.4 miles of shoreline here, which is a short walk end to end. Few waters listed in Menominee County are bigger. Menominee sits 14 miles from here and is the nearest stop. Green Bay sits 59 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Hanson Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Open biodiversity records for Menominee County list white sucker, johnny darter, brown trout and yellow perch. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. On Hanson Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 68°F in July and bottoms out near 16°F in January. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Break-up comes around mid April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Average temperatures cross freezing around mid April in spring and again near early December in autumn. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Hanson Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. A phone call first saves an afternoon. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Bertholdt Lake at 3.9 miles is the sensible second choice. Check the position on Hanson Lake before loading the car.