Fishing Lake Margrethe in Crawford County, Michigan

• Overview

  This water sits in Crawford County, Michigan. Country round the bank runs to mixed forest. It measures some 3.0 sq miles, and wind has room to build across it. With 9.0 miles or so of shoreline, boat anglers cover ground the bank cannot. Nothing else we list in Crawford County covers more water. Grayling at 3.9 miles is the nearest place to stop. Roscommon is 14 miles and Kalkaska 20 miles. A border sits close enough to be relevant to the paperwork.

• Where to Fish on Lake Margrethe

  Depth figures are not published for this one. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Fish documented in Crawford County include white sucker, rock bass, yellow perch, largemouth bass and bluegill. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. On Lake Margrethe the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 17°F in January up to 67°F in July. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough mid April. Average temperatures cross freezing around mid April in spring and again near early December in autumn. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. The season on Lake Margrethe follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Howes Lake at 2.9 miles is the sensible second choice. The position on Lake Margrethe is worth confirming on the day.