Lake Sixteen Fishing in Delta County, Michigan

• Overview

  Out in Delta County, Michigan, sits Lake Sixteen. Around the bank it is lake country bush. It runs to roughly 138 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Bank access stretches around 1.7 miles in total. It ranks high for size among our Delta County listings. The nearest place of any size is Gladstone, 8 miles away. Escanaba is 8.3 miles and Manistique 34 miles. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Lake Sixteen

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Records held for Delta County cover white sucker, alewife, rock bass, yellow perch and northern pike. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Read Lake Sixteen before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 16°F and July at about 66°F, the water has a wide range to work through. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. Break-up comes around mid April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Break-up near mid April, freeze-up near early December: that is the shape of an average year. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Plan any trip to Lake Sixteen around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Failing this one, try Lake Little Sixteen, 1.2 miles away. For Lake Sixteen, the notice at the access point is the final word.