Pilliot Lake, Michigan: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Pilliot Lake is a Marquette County water, in Michigan. The bank gives way to rolling bush. Surface area is around 25 acres, which gives you real water without needing a boat. By elevation it is in the upper part of our Michigan listings. The nearest place of any size is West Ishpeming, 11 miles away. Green Bay is the closest city, 126 miles away. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Pilliot Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Open biodiversity records for Marquette County list white sucker, yellow perch, rainbow smelt, smallmouth bass and northern pike. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Work Pilliot Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 13°F in January up to 64°F in July. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Ice-out usually falls in mid April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. From about mid April to around late November, expect open water on the long-run figures. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Pilliot Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. The nearest alternative is Erickson Lake, 0.8 miles out. Rules at Pilliot Lake are worth checking on the day.