Johnsons Lake Fishing near Kalkaska, Michigan

• Overview

  Within Kalkaska County, Michigan, you have Johnsons Lake. Around the bank it is pine and birch. With some 25 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Kalkaska is the closest place, 11 miles off. Grand Rapids is the closest city, 125 miles away. Also within reach: Cranberry Lake at about 1.1 miles, Cub Lake lies 1.9 miles on, South Black Lake at about 2.4 miles, Bear Lake lies 2.5 miles on and Middle Black Lake at about 2.8 miles. Two sets of local rules meet not far from this water.

• Where to Fish on Johnsons Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. County-wide records name yellow perch, white sucker and rock bass. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Read Johnsons Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 67°F at the top of summer and 18°F at the bottom of winter. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around mid April. Open water usually runs from mid April until about early December. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. At Johnsons Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Part of this sits inside or beside Black River Conservation Association, so read the notices. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Failing this one, try Cranberry Lake, 1.1 miles away. Confirm before you fish Johnsons Lake.