Bear Lake
Brown trout and rainbow trout water; 3 stockings on the 2026 record.
Kalkaska County · Michigan · see it on the national map
3
stockings 2026
Apr 20
last stocked
20,098
fish reported
313
acres (NHD)
The year here
stocked last 7 days announced ahead · tap a tick for details
What swims here
Brown trout
Rainbow trout
Stocking record 2026
| Date | Species | Size | Fish | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 20 | Brown trout | adult | 9,999 | completed |
| Apr 20 | Brown trout | adult | 4,899 | completed |
| Apr 20 | Rainbow trout | adult | 5,200 | completed |
Getting on the water
| Access point | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bear Lake | boat ramp | Recreation Passport required · accessible facilities |
Access points from the Michigan DNR boating access inventory. Ramps, fees, and hours change; check before towing a boat a long way.
Gear for this water
It has been a while since the trucks came. The holdovers have spread out and wised up; downsize and fish natural.
For the trout (brown trout stocked 2 times here in 2026, stillwater)
| Dough bait rigs | floating dough bait 18 inches above a small egg sinker; hatchery fish know the smell |
| Casting spoons | 1/8 to 1/4 oz in fluorescent or metallic; count down until you find the depth |
| Small crankbaits | trout-pattern cranks trolled or slow-retrieved off points |
Suggestions follow from what the state actually stocks here and what kind of water it is, nothing else. No sponsored placements.
Nearby stocked waters
The closest waters with stocking pages of their own, straight-line miles from this one.
| Water | Distance | Most recent |
|---|---|---|
| Manistee Lake | 5.3 mi | Jun 25 |
| Twin Lake | 6.5 mi | Apr 21 |
| North Blue Lake | 6.6 mi | Apr 20 |
| Starvation Lake | 8.1 mi | Apr 20 |
| Lake Margrethe | 9.3 mi | Jun 29 |
Records from Michigan DNR
(official page). Placement from USGS GNIS
and the National Hydrography Dataset. Schedules change without notice.
Seasons, limits, and licenses:
Michigan fishing
regulations.