Fishing at Tahquamenon Lakes, Schoolcraft County, Michigan

• Overview

  Out in Schoolcraft County, Michigan, sits Tahquamenon Lakes. Elevation runs to 873 feet. The water covers some 80 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The edge runs 1.7 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. The nearest place of any size is Newberry, 19 miles away. Munising follows at 38 miles, then Manistique at 41 miles. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Tahquamenon Lakes

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Open biodiversity records for Schoolcraft County list rainbow smelt, alewife, bloater and yellow perch. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. On Tahquamenon Lakes the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 16°F in January up to 64°F in July. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Ice-out usually falls in late April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Open water usually runs from late April until about early December. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. It sets the rhythm of the year at Tahquamenon Lakes.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Frank Lake at 0.4 miles is the sensible second choice. Check the position at Tahquamenon Lakes before loading the car.