Higgins Lake Fishing Guides and Conditions, Michigan

About the Higgins Lake

Higgins Lake sits a few miles from Houghton Lake and could hardly be more different. Where Houghton is shallow, weedy and stained, Higgins is deep, cold and startlingly clear, with a hard sand and gravel bottom and water that is regularly held up as among the most beautiful in the state.

That clarity and depth support a coldwater fishery. Lake trout are the signature species, caught deep through summer and closer to the surface after ice-out and again late in the year. Rainbow and brown trout are present, and smallmouth bass on the gravel and the drop-offs are excellent and comparatively overlooked.

Yellow perch and rock bass fill out the list and provide the everyday fishing. The perch fishing through the ice is a long-standing local tradition.

Fishing clear deep water asks for a different approach than most Michigan inland lakes. Light line, small presentations and attention to depth matter far more than casting to cover, and on bright calm summer days the fish will be deeper than seems reasonable. Early morning and late evening are worth more here than almost anywhere.

The lake is ringed by state parks and cottages and gets heavy recreational use in summer, which is another argument for fishing at the edges of the day.

Higgins and Houghton together make an unusually good pairing for a few days away. They are ten minutes apart and demand opposite approaches: shallow weed fishing on one, deep clear-water fishing on the other. Anglers who bring tackle for both get far more out of a trip than those who commit to one.

The gauge below reports lake elevation. Higgins is a natural lake with no dam setting its level, so what the reading shows is the slow seasonal response to snowmelt, rain and groundwater rather than anything an operator decided.

Access

North Higgins Lake State Park: ramp, camping and bank access.
South Higgins Lake State Park: the main developed access with a large campground.
Public access sites on the east and west shores.
Sand and gravel shorelines make wading and shore casting practical in places.
Ice access in winter from the state parks and public sites.
Roscommon and Grayling are the nearest towns with services.
Note: very clear water. Fish early, fish light, and expect fish deep.

Seasons

Winter: perch and lake trout through the ice, a long-standing local season.
Spring: lake trout near the surface after ice-out and smallmouth moving shallow.
Summer: deep lake trout, smallmouth on the drop-offs, heavy recreational traffic.
Fall: cooling water brings trout up and the lake quietens considerably.