Upper Holmes Lake in Iron County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Iron County in Michigan is where Upper Holmes Lake sits. The bank is 1,358 feet above sea level. It runs to roughly 68 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Bank access stretches around 1.9 miles in total. By elevation it is in the upper part of our Michigan listings. 4.5 miles away sits Crystal Falls, the nearest town. Beyond it, Stambaugh, Iron River at 15 miles and Iron River at 16 miles. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Upper Holmes Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Iron County records list brown trout, yellow perch, northern pike, walleye and white sucker among the fish reported. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. At Upper Holmes Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 65°F for July and 10°F for January. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about mid April. The open-water window runs from around mid April to about late November in an average year. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Upper Holmes Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Should this one be busy, Lower Holmes Lake is 1.6 miles off. For Upper Holmes Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.