Lake Charlevoix Fishing near Boyne City, Michigan

• Overview

  Lake Charlevoix lies within the bounds of Charlevoix County, Michigan. The surface lies 564 feet up. Surface area runs to some 27.1 sq miles, so a boat and a plan are both worth having. There is far more edge than the surface area suggests, thanks to the arms. Nothing else we list in Charlevoix County covers more water. Boyne City is the closest town at 3.3 miles. Green Bay is the closest city, 152 miles away. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Lake Charlevoix

  Depth on file is 122 ft. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Fish documented in Charlevoix County include rainbow smelt, alewife and shortjaw cisco. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Lake Charlevoix gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 68°F in July and bottom out at 20°F in January. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. Ice-out usually falls in mid April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. The season between ice runs from about mid April to mid December. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. The season on Lake Charlevoix follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  The shoreline is public, so the licence is the main requirement. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Parking is not close: half a mile from the bank, and no nearer option is mapped. There is camping recorded roughly half a mile off. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Mud Lake sits 1.6 miles off and takes the overflow. What applies at Lake Charlevoix may have changed since it was mapped.