Fishing at Middle Black Lake, Kalkaska County, Michigan

• Overview

  Kalkaska County in Michigan is where Middle Black Lake sits. The bank gives way to mixed forest. This is a pocket water of some 16 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. Grayling at 11 miles is the nearest place to stop. Grand Rapids sits 127 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. A county line runs close by, so local bylaws can differ within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Middle Black Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. County-wide records name yellow perch, white sucker, rock bass and largemouth bass. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Middle Black Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 67°F on average, January about 18°F. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Ice-out usually falls in mid April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. In an average year the thaw lands around mid April and the freeze near early December. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. On Middle Black Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. There is a slipway at Bear Lake Public Boat Launch, roughly half a mile off. You will be walking about half a mile from the nearest car park. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Upper Black Lake at 0.4 miles is the sensible second choice. The position on Middle Black Lake is worth confirming on the day.