Best brook trout lakes in Michigan
8 Michigan waters hold brook trout. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. The native char of cold ponds and streams. Needs the coldest, cleanest water in the lake.
- Lake Superior — Keweenaw Peninsula — 850 ft max · Coho Salmon, Steelhead, Lake Trout, Brook Trout
- Sturgeon River (UP) — 7 ft max · Walleye, Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout
- Escanaba River — 8 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout
- Fox River — 5 ft max · Brook Trout
- Au Sable River — 8 ft max · Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Brook Trout, Rock Bass
- Boardman River — 6 ft max · Brown Trout, Brook Trout
- Manistee River (Upper) — 7 ft max · Brown Trout, Brook Trout
- Two Hearted River — 5 ft max · Steelhead, Brook Trout
When to fish brook trout in Michigan
- Spring 2–15 ft — Ice-out scatters brookies along shorelines and inflow mouths, feeding on the first insect activity.
- Summer 10–30 ft — Brookies hold where the coldest water is — spring holes, deep basin edges and inflow plumes.
- Fall 2–15 ft — Fall is the show: brilliant spawning colors on gravel shoals and inflow gravel.
- Winter 3–20 ft — A classic ice-fishing target — active all winter in shallow to mid-depth water.
Also in Michigan: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best northern pike lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best muskellunge lakes · best yellow perch lakes · best common carp lakes · best chinook salmon lakes · best coho salmon lakes · best steelhead lakes · best lake trout lakes · best brown trout lakes · best lake whitefish lakes · best rock bass lakes · best cisco (lake herring) lakes · best pumpkinseed lakes · best brown bullhead lakes
Brook Trout elsewhere: Minnesota · Québec · New Hampshire · Montana · Wyoming · Massachusetts · Washington · Utah · Colorado · New York · Nevada · Maine