Fishing at Ward Lake, Schoolcraft County, Michigan

• Overview

  Within Schoolcraft County, Michigan, you have Ward Lake. Around the bank it is rolling bush. This is a pocket water of some 5 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. Our Schoolcraft County list holds plenty of bigger water. Newberry sits 17 miles from the bank. Green Bay is the closest city, 176 miles away. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Ward Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Fish documented in Schoolcraft County include rainbow smelt, alewife and bloater. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Treat Ward Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July near 64°F and January near 16°F on the long-run figures. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Ice is part of the season here, ending near late April. On the long-run averages the water opens up around late April and starts locking again about early December. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. Expect Ward Lake to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. 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. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Moon Lake, 1.1 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Treat access at Ward Lake as something to verify.