Fishing at Star Lake, Manistee County, Michigan

• Overview

  Star Lake is set in Manistee County, Michigan. It stands 728 feet above sea level. At roughly 11 acres, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. Head to Manistee, 17 miles away, for anything you forgot. Further out sit Baldwin (23 miles) and Scottville (23 miles). Local rules may differ a few miles either side of here.

• Where to Fish on Star Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Fish documented in Manistee County include alewife, rainbow smelt, bloater, johnny darter and lake trout. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. The near bank of Star Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 68°F and January reads 21°F. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around early April. Ice clears near early April and comes back about mid December in a typical year. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. On Star Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Expect a half a mile walk in from where the car goes. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Should this one be busy, Cranberry Lake is 0.9 miles off. Check the current arrangement for Star Lake.