Fishing at Smith Lake, Luce County, Michigan

• Overview

  Michigan holds Smith Lake, in Luce County. The country here is mixed forest. At 8 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. On size it sits at the modest end of our Luce County list. The nearest place of any size is Newberry, 14 miles away. Manistique lies 41 miles off, Munising another 42 miles. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Smith Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Reported across Luce County: yellow perch, white sucker, walleye, pink salmon and rock bass. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Smith Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 64°F, the coldest about 16°F. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. After late April the shallows warm and the fish move up. Break-up sits around late April on average, with the water closing again about early December. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. Time your trip to Smith Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Failing this one, try Peter Lake, 0.1 miles away. Treat Smith Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.