Fishing at Lake Ojibway, Keweenaw County, Michigan

• Overview

  Set in Keweenaw County, Lake Ojibway is a Michigan water. Land around it is rolling bush. It measures about 37 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. Shoreline comes to about 1.4 miles, small enough to learn in a day. Supplies mean a trip to Amethyst Harbour, 33 miles off. Thunder Bay sits 35 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Lake Ojibway

  Depth figures are not published for this one. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. County-wide records name rainbow smelt, yellow perch and white sucker. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. At Lake Ojibway the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 13°F in January to roughly 62°F in August. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from late April. Ice usually gives way near late April, and forms again about late November. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. Time your trip to Lake Ojibway by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. There is a campsite half a mile from the water. Facilities run to toilets 0.9 miles from the water. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Should this one be busy, Forbes Lake is 1.1 miles off. For Lake Ojibway, the notice at the access point is the final word.