Little Platte Lake Fishing in Benzie County, Michigan

• Overview

  Look for Little Platte Lake in the Benzie County part of Michigan. Land around it is rolling bush. At some 897 acres it is far too large to cover on foot in a day. There is roughly 5.7 miles of bank, more than one visit can cover properly. On our Benzie County list it sits near the top for size. Frankfort lies 9.4 miles from the water. Green Bay sits 97 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Little Platte Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Survey and observation records for Benzie County include yellow perch, rock bass, smallmouth bass and white sucker. Some of the species recorded here are protected or tightly regulated, so check what may be targeted before you fish. Little Platte Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 21°F to 68°F. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. The lid usually goes in early April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Break-up sits around early April on average, with the water closing again about mid December. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. Anyone fishing Little Platte Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. The nearest recorded ramp is Little Platte Lake Boat Launch, half a mile out. The nearest mapped parking is half a mile away, so the last stretch is on foot. Toilets show in mapping about half a mile away. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Platte Lake, 1.5 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Confirm before you fish Little Platte Lake.