Fishing Parish Lake in Chippewa County, Michigan

• Overview

  Parish Lake is a Chippewa County water, in Michigan. It sits in lake country bush country. It runs to roughly 72 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The full circuit measures close to 1.4 miles on foot. Thessalon is the closest place, 23 miles off. Cheboygan is 38 miles away, with Rogers City at 39 miles. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Parish Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. 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. Open biodiversity records for Chippewa County list rainbow smelt, bloater, lake whitefish, alewife and lake trout. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Parish Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 17°F in January and 66°F in July. Winter shuts the surface down for months. The lid usually goes in mid April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Ice usually gives way near mid April, and forms again about mid December. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Expect Parish Lake to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Fort Drummond Marine & Resort sits half a mile off, with launching and moorings. A pier or jetty stands half a mile away, which helps on a crowded bank. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. For a change of water, Jones Lake is 0.7 miles distant. Ask locally about Parish Lake if anything is unclear.