Fishing Big Manistique Lake

Big Manistique Lake offers excellent Walleye fishing despite recent recruitment concerns - the 2023 survey found 21,604 adult Walleye at 2.1 fish per acre, with 88% meeting the 15-inch minimum and fish averaging 16.6 inches. Walleye grow above Michigan's state average until age 5, reaching legal size in about 3 years, indicating abundant forage in this 10,346-acre system. However, natural reproduction has declined since 2019, likely due to invasive zebra mussels (2018) and round gobies (2019), plus increasing black crappie that compete with young Walleye. Northern Pike provide another trophy opportunity with low-to-moderate density but exceptional growth - fish average 23.3 inches and reach the 24-inch minimum by age 3-4, with historical reports of 25-pounders caught in 1926 and 14-20 pound fish in the 1970s. Yellow Perch dominate the panfish action, averaging 7.3 inches with about half exceeding preferred harvest size, and anglers report jumbo perch to 14 inches during spring and fall. The lake's shallow 10-foot average depth and 23-foot maximum means it doesn't thermally stratify, keeping dissolved oxygen adequate throughout but making cold-water species like Cisco vulnerable. Course-textured substrates provide excellent spawning habitat for lithophilic species like Walleye along rock and gravel areas. Double-crested cormorants remain a significant concern with an estimated 100 nests on the lake's islands plus 200-500 daily use birds preying heavily on juvenile gamefish. The highly developed shoreline (22.7 dwellings per mile) has reduced natural structure, though 20-40 artificial fish structures are planned for depths with good oxygen levels. Recent stocking of 6,400 fall fingerling Walleye in both 2022 and 2023 should provide good fishing by 2025-2026 as these fish recruit to legal size.