Lake Charlevoix, in Michigan’s northern lower peninsula, is a popular summer vacation spot. Every year, thousands of boaters, anglers and tourists flock to enjoy more than 27 square miles of water. In fact, the lake was runner-up for best lake in America in a recent USA Today poll. But Michigan’s third-largest lake isn’t just a one-season destination; its distinctive environment offers a unique winter fishing experience.

Geography

Lake Charlevoix is in Charlevoix County, between Grand Traverse Bay and Little Traverse Bay. It’s divided into the main basin, which stretches from the town of Charlevoix in the northwest to Boyne City in the southeast, and the southern arm, which extends more than 8 miles to East Jordan. Boyne City and East Jordan are situated where two major tributaries, the Boyne and Jordan Rivers, flow into the lake. The main basin is more than 13 miles long and almost 3 miles wide at its largest points, and it’s 122 feet at its deepest.

The lake drains into Lake Michigan through the Pine Channel. The town of Charlevoix occupies the less-than-2-mile-wide strip of land through which the channel runs. Tides and storm swells as well as normal outflow cause a two-way flow between Lake Charlevoix and Lake Michigan, making it a unique system. Being connected to the Great Lakes like this means that Lake Charlevoix shares some characteristics with them.

Rose said the size of the lake and clarity of the water make it comparable to the Great Lakes.

“It’s very similar to the Great Lakes without actually being the Great Lakes. It’s like an inland Great Lake,” said David Rose, an outdoor writer and photographer who runs Wildfishing Guide Service based in nearby Traverse City.

Species

The multitude of species of fish present in Lake Charlevoix is another similarity to the Great Lakes. In fall, the lake offers salmon fishing as well as opportunities for smallmouth bass and various species of trout.

For ice-fishing, walleyes are the most sought-after species. According to Rose, the walleye and lake trout fishing has been exceptionally good in the past few years. Yellow perch are also common on the lake.

Tom Durecki, owner of Tom’s Bait and Tackle in East Jordan, also pointed out walleyes as a top species, but highlights the fishing for northern pike.

“They get some really big pike, up to 20 pounds, over in the south arm,” he said. “There are a lot of pike that are between 10 and 15 pounds caught daily. Then there’s three or four that go in at 15 to 20 every week. Just great pike fishing, if you want a trophy. They also do very well on lake herring, jigging them anywhere from 70 to 90 feet of water. That’s a really good fishery they just started a couple years ago.”

Durecki also identified the abundance of bait fish as a major draw for Lake Charlevoix.

Hotspots and Hot Bait

If you’re looking for walleyes, the southern arm is the best bet, especially off any of the points toward East Jordan,” Durecki said. “There isn’t any really particular hot spot, though.

“The whole south arm is really good. Sometimes one spot’s better than the other, but the whole arm is very good in the wintertime.”

Perch can also be caught in the southern arm, around Holy Island in the northern part of the arm.

The main lake basin has its share of perch fishing, according to Rose. For perch, focus on the rocky flats and weed edges. 

Lake trout can be caught in the main lake as well, although it’s hard to pinpoint a specific spot.

“If you know of a little hump or a bump, that might be a good spot,” Rose said. “We don’t have a lot of structure up here in the lakes in northern Michigan, because they were all glacier-made lakes. They were just carved out, so there’s not a lot of reefs or rock piles like you might find in the southern Great Lakes … so it’s moving around a lot ’till you find some fish.”

After you do find the fish, it’s just a matter of catching them. One key is the equipment you use. Durecki and Rose say that you can’t go wrong with tip-ups baited with minnows, either blue shiners or sucker minnows. Rose says all you need is a small split-shot above the minnow for weight.

“You want just enough weight to keep that minnow down in the strike zone, but not enough that when the walleye comes and bites the minnow and it trips the mechanism that the weight falls to the bottom real hard and the walleye feels a lot of weight there,” he said.

Jigging for walleyes is also popular. Buckshot Rattle Spoons are one of the hot lures that have been working really well lately, according to Durecki. Other lures he said work well for walleyes include Rapala Shad Raps, Swedish Pimples, Salmo Chubby Darters and Lindy Darters. Durecki recommended Moonshine Super Glow Spoons for night, when walleyes get more active.

When to Go

Because of Lake Charlevoix’s size, it might not freeze up until mid-to-late January. It’s common for a skim of ice to form and be covered by an insulating layer of snow, making ice formation take even longer.

Speaking of snow, be prepared for a lot of it. Because of its location just off Lake Michigan, the Charlevoix area gets a lot of lake-effect snow. This happens when the relatively warm, moist air from over the Great Lakes passes over the colder landmass, producing heavy precipitation. It’s not unheard of for the area to get more than 100 inches of snow a year.

The effect of the snow and the size of Lake Charlevoix means it might take a while for a safe sheet of ice to form. Rose urges anglers to take precautions while fishing.

“Because it is so large, the ice is almost like a living entity. It’s always kind of on the move, so there could be a pressure crack or a heave of ice that forms,” he said.

Sticking to the southern arm gets you out on the lake earlier. That part of the lake is less than a mile wide and has a maximum depth of only 58 feet. Because it’s smaller and shallower, ice usually forms about two to three weeks before the main basin, according to Durecki.

“The southern arm gets the brunt of the early fishing,” he said. “Early ice is the time for a big 20-pound pike.”

He also says that the last couple of weeks of February and the first two weeks of March are the best time to fish “if you want a trophy fish.”

A Winter Retreat

Don’t forget about Charlevoix for the winter. Though the ice-fishing season on Lake Charlevoix isn’t as busy as the summer season, it still offers a great fishing experience. There aren’t many places where you can get Great Lakes fishing without being on the Great Lakes. Whether you’re looking for walleyes, lake trout or trophy pike, Lake Charlevoix has it.