Rickles Lake, Michigan: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Rickles Lake sits in Gogebic County, out in Michigan. This is mixed forest country. It covers about 17 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. It is high ground by Michigan standards. You are 23 miles from Eagle River. Further out sit Iron River (29 miles) and Stambaugh, Iron River (30 miles). It sits near the edge of the county, so check which rules apply.

• Where to Fish on Rickles Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Open biodiversity records for Gogebic County list bluegill, yellow perch, walleye and largemouth bass. The county list is broader than any single water. Rickles Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 65°F in July and bottoms out near 9°F in January. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from late April. The lid tends to go about late April and return around late November. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Rickles Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. For a change of water, Pilot Lake is 0.4 miles distant. Nothing on Rickles Lake should be assumed from this page alone.