Fishing Fife Lake

Fife Lake is experiencing dramatic changes that make it a fascinating but challenging fishery. The largemouth bass population has exploded from just 18 fish caught in 2001 to 107 in 2013, with ten different year classes present and fish averaging 14.5 inches. Smallmouth bass remain excellent, averaging 16.0 inches with 74% over 14 inches and growing near state average. The walleye fishery still offers quality fish averaging 21.1 inches with all fish over 15 inches legal, but the population consists entirely of older fish with concerning lack of young recruitment - the 2011 and 2012 stocking efforts appear to have failed. Yellow perch fishing has collapsed from what was once an excellent fishery - only 72 small perch averaging 4.5 inches were found compared to 67 catchable fish in 2001. Rock bass dominate the catch at 34% of all fish captured, growing near state average. Zebra mussels have created crystal-clear water with Secchi depths likely exceeding 20 feet, but this has disrupted the food web and may be contributing to poor yellow perch and walleye recruitment. The lake features sand and marl shoals covering 50-60% of the bottom, muck in the southwest area, two islands, and a maximum depth of 60 feet. A man-made rock reef off Florence Island was installed in 1958 for walleye spawning. The famous brown drake mayfly hatches have nearly disappeared, possibly due to past copper sulfate treatments for swimmer's itch, removing an important food source. Northern pike are growing 2.3 inches below state average, while bluegill growth is 1.2 inches below average with few young fish present. This 617-acre lake sits in the Manistee River watershed with excellent structure but is experiencing an ecological transition that favors largemouth bass over traditional species.