Hartley Lake Fishing in Gogebic County, Michigan

• Overview

  Gogebic County in Michigan is where Hartley Lake sits. The bank gives way to lake country bush. The water measures roughly 24 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. Compared with other Michigan water on our list, it sits high. The nearest place of any size is Wakefield, 28 miles away. The big place round here is Green Bay, 141 miles distant. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Hartley Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Records held for Gogebic County cover bluegill, yellow perch, walleye and largemouth bass. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. The shape of Hartley Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 65°F and January about 9°F. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Winter locks it down, and late April brings it back. Climate figures give an open season running late April to late November. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. That shapes the year on Hartley Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Stickley Lake at 0.9 miles is the sensible second choice. Ask locally about Hartley Lake if anything is unclear.