Fishing at Turtle Lake, Benzie County, Michigan

• Overview

  The Benzie County entry here is Turtle Lake, in Michigan. This is lake country bush ground. It runs to roughly 40 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The bank runs about 1.3 miles all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. Head to Frankfort, 16 miles away, for anything you forgot. Green Bay is the closest city, 104 miles away. Rules can differ a short way off, since the county line is near.

• Where to Fish on Turtle Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. County-wide records name yellow perch, rock bass, smallmouth bass and white sucker. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. At Turtle Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 68°F and January near 20°F. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around early April. The open-water window runs from around early April to about mid December in an average year. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. The season on Turtle Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Boat access is recorded roughly half a mile away. Mapping shows parking within half a mile. Toilets show in mapping about half a mile away. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Failing this one, try Lost Lake, 1.8 miles away. Confirm before you fish Turtle Lake.