Fishing at Headquarters Lake, Grand Traverse County, Michigan

• Overview

  The Grand Traverse County end of Michigan holds Headquarters Lake. Country round the bank runs to mixed forest. The water covers some 114 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The outline is close to a simple bowl, without much in the way of bays. It is among the larger waters listed here for Grand Traverse County. The closest town, Manton, is 9.3 miles distant. After that come Kingsley at 9.9 miles and Kalkaska at 16 miles. Two sets of local rules meet not far from this water.

• Where to Fish on Headquarters Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. 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. County-wide records name rock bass, yellow perch, white sucker, smallmouth bass and bluegill. The county list is broader than any single water. On Headquarters Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 67°F for July and 19°F for January. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Ice-out usually falls in mid April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Break-up near mid April, freeze-up near mid December: that is the shape of an average year. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Anyone fishing Headquarters Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Pickerel Lake sits 1.2 miles off and takes the overflow. Treat Headquarters Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.