Hickman Lake Fishing Guide, Marquette County, Michigan

• Overview

  Hickman Lake falls in Marquette County, part of Michigan. Elevation runs to 1,444 feet. With some 37 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. There is roughly 1.0 miles of shoreline here, which is a short walk end to end. By elevation it is in the upper part of our Michigan listings. The nearest place of any size is Crystal Falls, 16 miles away. West Ishpeming follows at 25 miles, then Ishpeming at 27 miles. The county edge is within a short distance of the bank.

• Where to Fish on Hickman 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. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Species logged across Marquette County include white sucker, yellow perch and rainbow smelt. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. On Hickman Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 10°F in January up to 64°F in July. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. The lid usually goes in late April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. The water is typically free of ice between late April and late November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. That is the shape of the year on Hickman Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Nothing formal is recorded here: no ramp, no car park, no marked path. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Little Sundog Lake sits 0.9 miles off and takes the overflow. What applies at Hickman Lake may have changed since it was mapped.