BLACK LAKE
"Our best muskie waters are the Black Lake/Black River/Cheboygan River reach," offered Northern Lake Huron Management Unit fisheries biologist Tim Cwalinski. "We attempted to get a population estimate for all game fish at Black Lake beginning in April 2005. We did well in marking many walleyes and pike; however, the muskies had not come in shallow enough to be captured in our nets. We do know the muskies grow very large here by seeing them after they are harvested, and some anglers really focus in on them."

Black Lake has a reputation for giving up muskies topping 50 inches and 30 pounds every year.

At 10,130 acres, muskies have plenty of room to roam in Black Lake. There are plenty of shiners, chubs and suckers for muskies to snack on. Muskies do concentrate in the spring and again in the fall on the north end where the Black River exits. Troll the usual complement of giant crankbaits, bucktails and body baits in the 10- to 25-foot depths there early and late in the day. During the summer, muskies relate more to the contours and dropoffs found on the southwest side.

For information on resorts, guides and lodging on Black Lake, contact the Cheboygan Area Tourist Bureau at 1-800-968-3302, or online at www.cheboygan.com.

SANFORD LAKE
"Sanford Lake is the best muskie lake in the unit," said Southern Lake Michigan Management Unit fisheries biologist Kathrin Schrouder. "We plant the lake every other year, and muskies are firmly established in the lake. You hear some news of them being caught."

Many of the other impoundments of the Tittabawassee River also have muskie populations.

"One of the big problems is that we've never been able to meet our planting needs in those lakes," Schrouder explained. "Coolwater hatchery production has just not been able to keep up with demand."

Sanford Lake is a narrow 10-mile expanse of the Tittabawassee River that has plenty of structure. The lake is filled with stumps, weedbeds, dropoffs and contours that make for ideal muskie habitat.

"Forage is not an issue," said Schrouder. Sanford Lake has a bounty of suckers and other rough fish that muskies can prey on. Still, surprisingly few of the behemoths are caught.

"I think all of the Tittabawassee River impoundments, including Wixom and Ross, have better muskie populations than what we've actually seen," Schrouder suggested. "Muskies are just hard to catch, and weed treatments on these impoundments in recent years has changed where these fish orientate." Prime locations on Sanford Lake to search for muskies is where creeks enter the impoundment and along the old river channel that courses through the lake where it comes close to shore. The best policy is to use bright lures that can be seen in the turbid water, and to cover water.

For information on bait shops, accommodations and other amenities in the Sanford area, contact the Sanford Area Chamber of Commerce at (989) 687-2800.

THORNAPPLE LAKE
"Thornapple Lake has some dandy muskies in it," declared Southern Lake Michigan Management Unit fisheries supervisor Jay Wesley. "Our creel clerks are telling us about them all the time."