Fishing Silver Lake in Alger County, Michigan

• Overview

  Silver Lake stands in Alger County, Michigan. The surface lies 906 feet up. At 20 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. The edge runs 1.5 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base is the closest town at 17 miles. Further out sit Harvey (17 miles) and Munising (18 miles). You are close to a county edge here; who manages the access can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Silver Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Public occurrence data for Alger County names yellow perch, rainbow smelt and northern pike. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. On Silver Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 16°F in January to roughly 64°F in July. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. After mid April the shallows warm and the fish move up. Average temperatures cross freezing around mid April in spring and again near early December in autumn. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Silver Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. For a change of water, Laughing Whitefish Lake is 1.4 miles distant. None of that is settled for Silver Lake in what we hold.