Schaaf Lake in Luce County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Michigan holds Schaaf Lake, in Luce County. The land about it is lake country bush. The water measures roughly 3 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. Our Luce County list holds plenty of bigger water. For a base, Newberry sits 24 miles out. For a city, Green Bay is 185 miles off. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Schaaf Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Species logged across Luce County include yellow perch, white sucker, walleye and pink salmon. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. At Schaaf Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 64°F at the top of summer and 17°F at the bottom of winter. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Ice-out usually falls in late April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Break-up near late April, freeze-up near early December: that is the shape of an average year. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. That shapes the year on Schaaf Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Failing this one, try Snowplow Lake, 0.4 miles away. Where Schaaf Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.