Fishing Linklater Lake in Keweenaw County, Michigan

• Overview

  Linklater Lake is one of the Keweenaw County listings for Michigan. Everything around it is mixed forest. Around 43 acres of surface means several distinct areas to work. There is roughly 2.0 miles of shoreline here, which is a short walk end to end. Nearest place of any size is Amethyst Harbour, 32 miles away. It is 34 miles to Thunder Bay, the nearest city. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Linklater Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. County-wide records name rainbow smelt, yellow perch, white sucker, cisco and lake whitefish. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. At Linklater Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect August to average close to 62°F, with January the cold end at about 13°F. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about late April. In an average year the thaw lands around late April and the freeze near late November. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. That is the shape of the year on Linklater Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Should this one be busy, Lake Shesheeb is 0.6 miles off. Check the position at Linklater Lake before loading the car.