Fishing at Lake John, Keweenaw County, Michigan

• Overview

  Lake John belongs to Keweenaw County, Michigan. The surface lies 643 feet up. At roughly 8 acres, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. It is a small entry by Keweenaw County standards. You are 36 miles from Amethyst Harbour. Further out sit East End (38 miles) and Thunder Bay (38 miles). No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Lake John

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. County-wide records name rainbow smelt, yellow perch, white sucker, cisco and lake whitefish. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. Take Lake John a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 13°F and July at about 62°F, the water has a wide range to work through. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. After late April the shallows warm and the fish move up. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about late April until roughly late November. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. The season on Lake John follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Newt Lake sits 1.2 miles off and takes the overflow. The position on Lake John is worth confirming on the day.