Sprinkler Lake in Schoolcraft County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Sprinkler Lake is set in Schoolcraft County, Michigan. The water sits 771 feet up. Small at around 10 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. The nearest town is Munising, 16 miles away. The big place round here is Green Bay, 135 miles distant. Others close at hand: 0.2 miles away is Dinner Lake, Rumble Lake after 0.3 miles, 0.9 miles away is Verdant Lake, Ironjaw Lake after 0.9 miles and 1.1 miles away is Swan Lake. The county edge is within a short distance of the bank.

• Where to Fish on Sprinkler Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Schoolcraft County records list rainbow smelt, alewife, bloater and yellow perch among the fish reported. The county list is broader than any single water. The shape of Sprinkler Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 65°F at the top of summer and 15°F at the bottom of winter. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around mid April. Average temperatures cross freezing around mid April in spring and again near early December in autumn. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Expect Sprinkler Lake to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. There is a campsite 0.9 miles from the water. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Dinner Lake at 0.2 miles is the sensible second choice. None of that is settled for Sprinkler Lake in what we hold.