Fishing Tea Lake in Montmorency County, Michigan

• Overview

  Tea Lake is one of the Montmorency County waters in Michigan. The setting is mixed forest on every side. Surface area is around 204 acres, which gives you real water without needing a boat. You are looking at roughly 4.9 miles of shoreline, with plenty of water between access points. Size puts it in the front rank of our Montmorency County list. Supplies mean a trip to Lewiston, 3.4 miles off. Mio lies 15 miles off, Gaylord another 23 miles. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Tea Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Records held for Montmorency County cover largemouth bass, bluegill, northern pike, rock bass and yellow perch. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Tea Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 67°F, the coldest about 16°F. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Once it clears, about mid April, the fishing comes on quickly. Averages place the thaw at mid April and the freeze at early December. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. The season on Tea Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Should this one be busy, Little Wolf Lake is 1.4 miles off. Signs at Tea Lake carry more weight than any list.