Hawkins Ponds, Michigan: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Marquette County in Michigan is where Hawkins Ponds sits. The surface lies 1,299 feet up. The water measures roughly 6 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. Our Marquette County list holds plenty of bigger water. West Ishpeming lies 9.2 miles from the water. Further out sit Ishpeming (9.3 miles) and Negaunee (10 miles). One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Hawkins Ponds

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. County-wide records name white sucker, yellow perch and rainbow smelt. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. On Hawkins Ponds the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 65°F at the top of summer and 14°F at the bottom of winter. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about mid April. The lid tends to go about mid April and return around late November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Time your trip to Hawkins Ponds by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. Mapping shows an empty shoreline: no ramp, no jetty, no marked entry. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. For a change of water, East Voelker Lake is 1.1 miles distant. For Hawkins Ponds, the notice at the access point is the final word.