Spectacle Lake, Michigan: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  In Michigan, Spectacle Lake falls inside Chippewa County. It stands 623 feet above sea level. It runs to roughly 81 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. With about 1.7 miles of edge, you can try several depths in one session. By elevation it sits in the lower part of our Michigan listings. Nearest place of any size is Sault Ste. Marie, 14 miles away. For a city, Greater Sudbury is 173 miles off. The county edge is within a short distance of the bank.

• Where to Fish on Spectacle Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Reported across Chippewa County: rainbow smelt, bloater, lake whitefish, alewife and lake trout. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Spectacle Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 15°F in January up to 64°F in July. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. The lid usually goes in late April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. On the long-run averages the water opens up around late April and starts locking again about early December. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. On Spectacle Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Expect a half a mile walk in from where the car goes. There are picnic tables half a mile away. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Should this one be busy, North Pond is 1 mile off. Check the position on Spectacle Lake before loading the car.