Poker Lake Fishing near Iron River, Michigan

• Overview

  You will find Poker Lake in Houghton County, Michigan. Around the bank it is rolling bush. This is a pocket water of some 7 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. By elevation it is in the upper part of our Michigan listings. Nearest place of any size is Iron River, 20 miles away. After that come Stambaugh, Iron River at 21 miles and Crystal Falls at 29 miles. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Poker Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Species logged across Houghton County include rainbow smelt, bloater and cisco. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. At Poker Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 64°F and January at 10°F. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from late April. Break-up sits around late April on average, with the water closing again about late November. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Poker Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. There is a ramp at Chamberlain Lake Boat Launch, half a mile out. For walleye, a jig and minnow near the bottom is the standard; evenings beat middays. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Should this one be busy, Buddle Lake is 0.4 miles off. Rules at Poker Lake are worth checking on the day.