Lake Elizabeth in Marquette County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Set in Marquette County, Michigan, this is Lake Elizabeth. The ground around here is mixed forest. At 12 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. By elevation it is in the upper part of our Michigan listings. Some 16 miles away sits Crystal Falls, the nearest settlement. The big place round here is Green Bay, 122 miles distant. Two sets of local rules meet not far from this water.

• Where to Fish on Lake Elizabeth

  Our records hold no depth for this water. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Survey and observation records for Marquette County include white sucker, yellow perch, rainbow smelt and smallmouth bass. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. Anyone new to Lake Elizabeth should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 10°F in January and 64°F in July. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around late April. Climate figures give an open season running late April to late November. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. The season on Lake Elizabeth rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Little Sundog Lake, 0.4 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Where Lake Elizabeth is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.