Fishing Welcome Lake in Iosco County, Michigan

• Overview

  Look for Welcome Lake in Iosco County, Michigan. Height above sea level is 830 feet. Sand Lake lies 6.6 miles from the water. Tawas City is 15 miles and East Tawas 16 miles. More in the same country: Little Bass Lake the better part of 0.3 miles, 0.7 miles out stands Mud Lake, Esmond Lake the better part of 1.2 miles, 2.7 miles out stands Mud Lake and Vaughn Lake the better part of 3 miles. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Welcome Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. County-wide records name rock bass, bluegill, pink salmon, largemouth bass and northern pike. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Welcome Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 18°F and July at about 68°F, the water has a wide range to work through. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Ice is part of the season here, ending near early April. Break-up sits around early April on average, with the water closing again about mid December. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. That shapes the year on Welcome Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. If the gate is shut, Little Bass Lake at 0.3 miles is the nearest alternative. Ask locally about Welcome Lake if anything is unclear.