McGinn Lake Fishing Guide, Schoolcraft County, Michigan

• Overview

  Look for McGinn Lake in the Schoolcraft County part of Michigan. The bank is 650 feet above sea level. At 3 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Most waters listed here for Schoolcraft County are larger. Manistique at 11 miles is the nearest place to stop. Green Bay sits 121 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on McGinn Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Public occurrence data for Schoolcraft County names rainbow smelt, alewife, bloater, yellow perch and white sucker. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. The shape of McGinn Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 65°F, the coldest about 19°F. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Once it clears, about mid April, the fishing comes on quickly. Averages place the thaw at mid April and the freeze at mid December. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Anyone fishing McGinn Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. The nearest alternative is Bursaw Marsh, 1.9 miles out. Where McGinn Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.