Rollway Lake Fishing in Clare County, Michigan

• Overview

  The Clare County end of Michigan holds Rollway Lake. The surface lies 1,207 feet up. The water covers some 47 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The full circuit measures close to 1.1 miles on foot. You are 9.2 miles from Prudenville. For a city, Lansing is 101 miles off. This one sits near enough to a boundary to be worth checking.

• Where to Fish on Rollway Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Open biodiversity records for Clare County list bluegill, largemouth bass, pink salmon and northern pike. The county list is broader than any single water. On Rollway Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 17°F in January to roughly 67°F in July. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around mid April. Averages place the thaw at mid April and the freeze at early December. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. On Rollway Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. 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. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Should this one be busy, Leith Lake is 0.9 miles off. The position on Rollway Lake is worth confirming on the day.