Plantation Lakes, Michigan: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Plantation Lakes sits within Houghton County in Michigan. The country here is lake country bush. Small at around 3 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Our Houghton County list holds plenty of bigger water. Supplies mean a trip to Baraga, 22 miles off. The nearest city of size is Thunder Bay, 127 miles away. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Plantation Lakes

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Survey and observation records for Houghton County include rainbow smelt, bloater and cisco. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Fish Plantation Lakes to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 65°F and January near 11°F. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near mid April. Ice clears near mid April and comes back about late November in a typical year. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Plantation Lakes runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. Walleye come to jigs worked slow near bottom, and to trolled crankbaits along the drops at dusk. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. For a change of water, Bender Lake is 1.8 miles distant. Check the position on Plantation Lakes before loading the car.