Fishing at Lake of the Clouds, Ontonagon County, Michigan

• Overview

  Lake of the Clouds lies in Ontonagon County, in Michigan. The bank is 1,073 feet above sea level. With some 149 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. The full circuit measures close to 2.6 miles on foot. Few waters listed in Ontonagon County are bigger. For supplies, Ontonagon is 21 miles out. Beyond it, Wakefield at 25 miles and Bessemer at 27 miles. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Lake of the Clouds

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Survey and observation records for Ontonagon County include yellow perch, pink salmon, walleye and brook trout. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Read Lake of the Clouds for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 12°F to 65°F. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around late April. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about late April until roughly late November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. That is the shape of the year on Lake of the Clouds.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. A carry of half a mile from the nearest parking is the price of fishing here. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. For a change of water, Mirror Lake is 3.4 miles distant. Check the position on Lake of the Clouds before loading the car.