Hike Lake Fishing near Munising, Michigan

• Overview

  Within Alger County, Michigan, you have Hike Lake. It sits in pine and birch. At 11 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Munising lies 11 miles from the water. Green Bay sits 136 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Round about: Rock Lake out at 0.3 miles, Scout Lake at 0.4 miles, Crow Lake out at 0.6 miles, Snipe Lake at 0.7 miles and Bar Lake out at 0.7 miles. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Hike Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Survey and observation records for Alger County include yellow perch, rainbow smelt, northern pike, white sucker and rock bass. The county list is broader than any single water. Hike Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 65°F and January at 15°F. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Winter locks it down, and mid April brings it back. Climate figures give an open season running mid April to early December. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. That is the shape of the year on Hike Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Boat access is recorded roughly half a mile away. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. For a change of water, Rock Lake is 0.3 miles distant. Treat Hike Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.