Fishing Knutsen Lake in Chippewa County, Michigan

• Overview

  Knutsen Lake is one of the Chippewa County waters in Michigan. The surroundings are mixed forest. The water covers some 35 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The full circuit measures close to 0.9 miles on foot. By elevation it sits in the lower part of our Michigan listings. Thessalon sits 22 miles from the bank. For a city, Greater Sudbury is 137 miles off. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Knutsen Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Survey and observation records for Chippewa County include rainbow smelt, bloater, lake whitefish, alewife and lake trout. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Knutsen Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 66°F; by January the average is down near 16°F. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near mid April. Expect the water usable from around mid April until roughly early December. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. The season on Knutsen Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. The map shows no ramp or car park nearby, so this is a walk-in water. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Pats Lake sits 0.8 miles off and takes the overflow. Nothing here settles the position at Knutsen Lake for certain.