(Provided by Michigan DNR)

Coho in Crystal Lake? You Heard That Right!Are you looking for a big waterbody in northern Michigan that produces unique and exciting fishing opportunities? Look no further than Crystal Lake in Benzie County; Michigan's ninth largest inland lake (at 9,854 acres) and home to a whole host of popular species.

This deep, cold lake has a maximum depth of 165 feet with an average depth of 70 feet. Located in the Betsie River watershed, it has an outlet stream that flows from its south shore into the Betsie River.

According to Mark Tonello, DNR fisheries biologist out of Cadillac, this lake is a fishery all types of anglers can appreciate with a variety of opportunities to pursue.

"The fishing [on Crystal Lake] is very good and popular," Tonello said. "It's a really long lake spanning from east to west and it's only a mile inland from Lake Michigan. I will warn those fishing from small boats that this lake can get rough given its proximity to the big lake."

Despite these risks, Crystal Lake boasts an almost unheard of inland fishery: coho salmon. The population there is self-sustaining, first noticed during fisheries surveys conducted in the 1980s and probably courtesy of fish coming from Lake Michigan. The only other inland lake in Michigan with its own coho population is Glen Lake in Leelanau County.

Anglers will troll or jig for coho during open water season and also jig for them through the ice. They'll also use those methods to target rainbow and lake trout - both are stocked there annually at approximately 20,000 rainbows and 60,000 lake trout. Tonello explains that Crystal Lake is known as a lake trout fishery; folks will often pay it a visit just to catch them. Anglers also use tip-ups baited with live minnows or smelt and set just off the bottom to catch them in the winter.

Meanwhile, during the winter months, the rainbow trout in Crystal Lake can be found in much shallower water than the lake trout and they often linger near creek mouths. Tonello shared that this lake does see some naturally reproducing rainbow trout in its tributaries so they look like mini steelhead. Crystal Lake is a Type E lake which means it's open to year round fishing and possession with a 15-inch minimum size limit for rainbow trout, 10-inch minimum size limit for coho salmon, and a daily possession limit of three fish.

In addition to coho, rainbows and lake trout, a variety of panfish can be targeted at Crystal Lake; including yellow perch (both open water and through the ice) and rock bass. Tonello said anglers have routinely caught perch up to and over 12 inches and rock bass seem to be found in every nook and cranny of the lake during open water season.

"There are pretty good numbers of rock bass that are Master Angler size," he said. "If you really want to catch a Master Angler-sized fish, you'll have a good chance of getting a Master Angler rock bass on Crystal Lake."

If you head to Crystal Lake in the winter months you're still not out of unique fishing opportunities. It has a very good smelt fishery and whitefish have been caught by anglers while they jig for lake trout. It also has a pretty good population of burbot with anglers catching them by using a tip-up with a dead minnow lying on the bottom.

"There are not many inland lakes where anglers can target burbot," said Tonello.

Pike, although low in numbers, are fairly large at Crystal Lake with some coming in at more than 20 pounds.

For those interested in accessing Crystal Lake there are a few ways to do so. There aren't many shorefishing opportunities but the best is located in the town of Beulah - Beulah Beach. Tonello says in the spring and fall it's a popular place to surf fish and you can catch rainbow trout, coho salmon and lake trout that way. Anglers will fish spawn bags on the bottom or cast spoons and body baits when targeting these species from shore.

There's also a public fishing pier located in Beulah where anglers catch smallmouth bass, rock bass and yellow perch.

There are few boat access sites on Crystal Lake and one includes the DNR site that opened in 2012. It's located off Mollineaux Road on the south shore of the lake and offers parking for 36 vehicles with trailers and another 20 vehicles without trailers. The Crystal Lake Watershed Association cooperatively runs a boat washing station at the site during the summer months - a great tool for preventing the introduction and/or spread of invasive species into the waterbody.

Don't miss your chance to fish this excellent Michigan waterbody and experience some of the state's world-class natural resources.

"It's a great fishing lake - one we're blessed to have," said Tonello. "It can be a bit daunting because of its size, so take the time to learn it and explore this fantastic resource."