Post Lake near Kalkaska: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  The Kalkaska County end of Michigan holds Post Lake. What surrounds it is mixed forest. This is a pocket water of some 12 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. For supplies, Kalkaska is 8 miles out. The nearest city of size is Grand Rapids, 128 miles away. Water in the same corner: Perch Lake (0.4 miles), Grass Lake roughly 0.7 miles, Lost Lake (1.3 miles), Manistee Lake roughly 2.1 miles and Lake Five (2.4 miles). This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Post Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. County-wide records name yellow perch, white sucker, rock bass and largemouth bass. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. On Post Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 67°F and January about 18°F. Winter shuts the surface down for months. The lid usually goes in mid April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Climate averages put the opening at about mid April and the closing near early December. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. The season on Post Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. Upper Manistee Headwaters: The Milock Family Preserve runs up to the bank here, which usually means extra restrictions. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. The nearest alternative is Perch Lake, 0.4 miles out. None of that is settled for Post Lake in what we hold.