Swan Lake Fishing near Munising, Michigan

• Overview

  Schoolcraft County, Michigan, is where Swan Lake sits. The bank is 768 feet above sea level. At about 46 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. For a base, Munising sits 17 miles out. It is 134 miles to Green Bay, the nearest city. The county line runs close by, so rules can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Swan Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. County-wide records name rainbow smelt, alewife, bloater, yellow perch and white sucker. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. Read Swan Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 65°F in July and bottom out at 15°F in January. Winter shuts the surface down for months. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough mid April. Open water usually runs from mid April until about early December. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. The season on Swan Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. A carry of 0.9 miles from the nearest parking is the price of fishing here. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Mike White Lake, 0.9 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. The position on Swan Lake is worth confirming on the day.