Fishing Howe Lake in Lake County, Michigan

• Overview

  This water sits in Lake County, Michigan. It stands 1,207 feet above sea level. At 23 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. For supplies, Reed City is 11 miles out. Baldwin is 15 miles and Evart 19 miles. In the same area: Rockwell Lake after 3.4 miles, Totten Lake a shade over 3.4 miles, Stowell Lake after 4.7 miles, Marl Bed Lake a shade over 4.7 miles and Asplund Lake after 6.1 miles. The county edge is within a short distance of the bank.

• Where to Fish on Howe Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Survey and observation records for Lake County include rainbow trout, brook trout, white sucker and bluegill. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. At Howe Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 67°F and January reads 19°F. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Winter locks it down, and mid April brings it back. The season between ice runs from about mid April to mid December. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. On Howe Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Should this one be busy, Rockwell Lake is 3.4 miles off. Signs at Howe Lake carry more weight than any list.