Fishing at Timmerman Lake, Manistee County, Michigan

• Overview

  The Manistee County end of Michigan holds Timmerman Lake. It sits at 728 feet above sea level. Surface area runs to about 14 acres — small enough to read in one session. Supplies mean a trip to Manistee, 15 miles off. Scottville is 21 miles and Baldwin 22 miles. Nearby, in order: Pine Lake 1.5 miles, Lake of the Woods the better part of 1.8 miles, Star Lake 2.9 miles, Maple Lake the better part of 3.4 miles and Beaver Lake 3.4 miles. Rules can differ a short way off, since the county line is near.

• Where to Fish on Timmerman Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Manistee County records list alewife, rainbow smelt and bloater among the fish reported. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Read Timmerman Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 68°F on average, January about 21°F. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. The lid usually goes in early April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Average temperatures cross freezing around early April in spring and again near mid December in autumn. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Timmerman Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. For a change of water, Pine Lake is 1.5 miles distant. Rules at Timmerman Lake are worth checking on the day.