North Lake Fishing in Schoolcraft County, Michigan

• Overview

  North Lake falls in Schoolcraft County, part of Michigan. The water sits 925 feet up. With some 85 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. The edge runs 2.4 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Few waters listed in Schoolcraft County are bigger. Newberry is the closest place, 21 miles off. For a city, Green Bay is 174 miles off. You are close to a county edge here; who manages the access can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on North Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Records held for Schoolcraft County cover rainbow smelt, alewife, bloater and yellow perch. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. On North Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 64°F and January near 16°F. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly late April. Expect the water usable from around late April until roughly early December. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. North Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. 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. Failing this one, try Mitchell Lake, 1.8 miles away. Check the current arrangement for North Lake.