Hovey Lake Fishing in Alger County, Michigan

• Overview

  The Alger County end of Michigan holds Hovey Lake. The country here is lake country bush. With some 91 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. With about 2.9 miles of edge, you can try several depths in one session. Size puts it in the front rank of our Alger County list. Supplies mean a trip to Munising, 8.4 miles off. Further out sit K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base (32 miles) and Manistique (32 miles). This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Hovey Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Species logged across Alger County include yellow perch, rainbow smelt and northern pike. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. On Hovey Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 65°F, with January the cold end at about 15°F. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Break-up comes around mid April, and the run that follows is short and strong. In an average year the thaw lands around mid April and the freeze near early December. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Hovey Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Mapping shows a campsite some half a mile from the water. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Kitten Lake, 0.7 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Nothing on Hovey Lake should be assumed from this page alone.