Lake Fourteen Fishing Guide, Houghton County, Michigan

• Overview

  Houghton County, Michigan, is where Lake Fourteen sits. The surface lies 1,207 feet up. This is a pocket water of some 6 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. Head to Baraga, 17 miles away, for anything you forgot. L'Anse is 19 miles and Atlantic Mine 21 miles. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Lake Fourteen

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Houghton County records list rainbow smelt, bloater and cisco among the fish reported. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. The shape of Lake Fourteen decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 13°F and July at about 65°F, the water has a wide range to work through. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about mid April. Ice clears near mid April and comes back about late November in a typical year. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. At Lake Fourteen the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. The map shows no ramp or car park nearby, so this is a walk-in water. For walleye, a jig and minnow near the bottom is the standard; evenings beat middays. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Pike Lake at 0.9 miles is the sensible second choice. Where Lake Fourteen is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.