Neighbor Lake Fishing near Manistique, Michigan

• Overview

  Michigan holds Neighbor Lake, in Schoolcraft County. Elevation runs to 699 feet. The water measures roughly 11 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. For supplies, Manistique is 18 miles out. Further out sit Munising (19 miles) and Gladstone (36 miles). Other water nearby: Deacon Lake just 0.2 miles, Little Bass Lake a shade over 1.1 miles, Bell Lake just 1.2 miles, East Lake a shade over 1.5 miles and Bass Lake just 1.6 miles. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Neighbor Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Schoolcraft County records list rainbow smelt, alewife, bloater, yellow perch and white sucker among the fish reported. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. The near bank of Neighbor Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 15°F and July at about 65°F, the water has a wide range to work through. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Break-up comes around mid April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Open water usually runs from mid April until about early December. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Expect Neighbor Lake to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. You can camp about 0.9 miles away, going by the mapping. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. The nearest alternative is Deacon Lake, 0.2 miles out. For Neighbor Lake in particular, ask before you travel.