Fishing at Lost Lakes, Delta County, Michigan

• Overview

  Out in Delta County, Michigan, sits Lost Lakes. The bank is 741 feet above sea level. It covers about 13 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. A shoreline of some 0.9 miles keeps the choices simple. Some 15 miles away sits Gladstone, the nearest settlement. Escanaba lies 22 miles off, Manistique another 25 miles. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Lost Lakes

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Reported across Delta County: white sucker, alewife and rock bass. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. At Lost Lakes light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 65°F at the top of summer and 15°F at the bottom of winter. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough mid April. Break-up sits around mid April on average, with the water closing again about early December. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. At Lost Lakes the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. The map shows no ramp or car park nearby, so this is a walk-in water. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. If the gate is shut, Ramsey Lake at 0.8 miles is the nearest alternative. Treat access at Lost Lakes as something to verify.