Shallow Lake Fishing Guide, Alger County, Michigan

• Overview

  Shallow Lake is an Alger County water, in Michigan. It lies 863 feet above sea level. At 12 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. For a base, Munising sits 9.9 miles out. Beyond it, K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base at 30 miles and Manistique at 32 miles. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Shallow Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Fish documented in Alger County include yellow perch, rainbow smelt, northern pike, white sucker and rock bass. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Fish Shallow Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 65°F for July and 15°F for January. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Count the season from break-up, usually mid April. Climate figures give an open season running mid April to early December. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. It sets the rhythm of the year at Shallow Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Should this one be busy, Hemlock Lake is 0.6 miles off. Nothing here settles the position at Shallow Lake for certain.