Fishing at Lake Elinor, Marquette County, Michigan

• Overview

  Lake Elinor is one of the Marquette County waters in Michigan. It sits at 1,709 feet above sea level. With some 108 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. With about 1.8 miles of edge, you can try several depths in one session. Few waters listed in Marquette County are bigger. For supplies, L'Anse is 19 miles out. For a city, Thunder Bay is 132 miles off. The county edge is within a short distance of the bank.

• Where to Fish on Lake Elinor

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Marquette County records list white sucker, yellow perch and rainbow smelt among the fish reported. The county list is broader than any single water. Lake Elinor responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 63°F and January near 11°F. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. The lid usually goes in late April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Ice clears near late April and comes back about late November in a typical year. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. On Lake Elinor the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Mapping is blank for access, so scout the approach before committing the car. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. For a change of water, Big Bear Lake is 0.6 miles distant. None of that is settled for Lake Elinor in what we hold.