Plenty of lakes with sizeable largemouths
One of the appeals of fishing for largemouth bass is the variety of ways you can catch ’em. You can buzz, pump or slow roll spinnerbaits, twitch a jerk bait or stick bait on the surface or walk-the-dog with a classic Zara Spook. You can drag a rubber worm or crawl a jig-n-pig along the bottom, use a Carolina rig or drop shot or a myriad of other techniques. They all have their time and place. The challenge is to input all the variables into your brain and formulate a plan of attack. You need to consider the type of structure you’ll be fishing, the time of the year, the attitude of the bass and fishing and recreational boating pressure. Put it all together and there are plenty of Michigan lakes where you can catch some sizable largemouth bass.
Following is a selection of Michigan largemouth lakes where you’ll want to have your entire bag of tricks ready.
Paw Paw Lake
“Paw Paw Lake near Coloma is an excellent largemouth lake that sees a fair amount of fishing pressure from the bass clubs and the locals,” stated Randy Van Dam of D & R Sports Center in Kalamazoo. “The lake offers a lot of variety when it comes to largemouths. It varies seasonally, but you can fish deep weed lines, breaks, classic points and it’s a great dock lake.”
Paw Paw Lake has a maximum depth of 90 feet and its irregular shape provides plenty of nooks and crannies where bass anglers can escape to. The 857-acre lake is very accessible with public access sites on the east and west shores. Once on the lake you can catch bass just about anywhere and by any means. A productive summer pattern is to work the deep weeds in 17 to 20 feet of water with crankbaits and jigs. There are lots of docks that hold largemouths throughout the year too. Try pitching your favorite jig or plastic combination for some exciting shallow water action there. Points are a big draw on Paw Paw Lake. The shallows right off the boat launch on the east end of the lake are a prime early summer location. “It’s the kind of lake where you can catch ’em all over,” said Van Dam. One unusual feature of Paw Paw Lake is that it has a landlocked population of alewives that the bass love.
While most of the bucketmouths will average 2-3 pounds, fish in the 5- pound range are not uncommon. Although Paw Paw Lake sees a fair amount of boating activity, you can often find the lake’s largemouths in relatively shallow water because it is usually a little stained. A variety of spinnerbaits, plastics and crankbaits will produce on Paw Paw.
For information on accommodations, bait shops and amenities near Paw Paw Lake contact the Southwestern Michigan Tourist Council at (269) 925-6301 or online at www.swmichigan.org.
Gull Lake
“Gull Lake was managed as a trout and salmon lake for years and they pretty much eliminated the smelt and a lot of the other forage fish,” claimed Randy Van Dam. “We had some pretty decent bass fishing in Gull Lake back then, but it just seemed to get worse and worse. Now that the DNR has scrapped the trout and salmon program the smelt numbers have exploded. The bass have come back big time, but it’s a very different fishery.”
Gull Lake is located in Kalamazoo and a small portion of Barry counties. Gull Lake is considered to be one of the most beautiful lakes in southern Michigan and the 2,050-acre lake’s water quality is exceptional. That’s one of the reason is supports a myriad of fish species. Besides coldwater species like brown trout, rainbow trout and Atlantic salmon, Gull Lake boasts a thriving warm water species community as well. “Gull Lake use to produce a lot of 2- to
3-pound bass,” said Randy Van Dam, “but now 4 and 5 pound bass are not uncommon.” Van Dam said the bass thrive on the baitfish populations in the lake as well as panfish and crawfish. Catching them though isn’t always an easy proposition.
Cover is at a premium in Gull Lake’s deep basin. Find weeds and you’ll find game fish. Subtle points and sloping drop-offs that features patches of submergent vegetation are natural draws. Look for bucketmouths along the southeast side of the lake where you find weeds in 10 to 30 feet of water, but they can be as deep as 60 feet at times. Another prime location is northwest of Island Park. Stumps, weeds and an irregular bottom in the northwest corner of the lake are attractive to spring largemouths. Not all of Gull Lake’s largemouths relate to structure. Pods of bass can be found suspended over open water where they shadow schools of baitfish. Covering water is the best way to make contact with these fish. Trolling may not be the preferred method of catching largemouths, but some Gull Lake anglers take big catches of bass using Dipsey Divers. Honest! Others use light line and tackle to finesse fish with small jigs to fool the lake’s finicky bass.
For information on Gull Lake’s bass population contact the Southern Lake Michigan Management Unit of the MDNR at (616) 685-6851.
Pine Lake
“Barry County’s Pine Lake is known for its big crappies, but it’s very good for largemouths as well,” claimed Randy Van Dam of D & R Sports Center in Kalamazoo. “There’s lots of structure that largemouths like. And because there are four different lakes, there are subtle differences from lake to lake.”
With a maximum depth of 34 feet and covering some 660 acres, Pine Lake has no shortage of places for bass to hide. It has defined weed lines in deep water, pad fields, reed flats, bays, coves, points, islands, cabbage beds and docks. All of them are likely locations to find bass. Hitting on a pattern is key. Deep water is always a refuge for largemouths in the summer. “We catch a lot of fish drop-shotting in the summer in 18 to 20 feet of water,” suggested Van Dam. “In general, Pine Lake fishes very well in the summer. There are bays and coves where you can get away from the traffic that always produce fish.” Most bucketmouths on Pine Lake will run for 2 to 3 pounds, but largemouths pushing 7 pounds are not unheard of.
For information on Pine Lake and other southwestern Michigan bass lakes contact D & Sports Center at (269) 372-2277 or online at www.dandrsports.com.
Coldwater Lake
“I would have to rate Coldwater Lake as one of the better largemouth lakes in our unit,” stated Jay Wesley, Southern Lake Michigan Manage-ment Unit fisheries supervisor. “Coldwater Lakes sees a lot of fishing pressure from out-of-state anglers, but it has excellent largemouth habitat and good numbers of bass.”
1,610-acre Coldwater Lake is located in Branch County and one in a series of lakes that includes Marble, Middle, Bartholomew, Loon, and East Long lakes. Coldwater is the biggest lake in the chain. Though managed primarily for walleye, Coldwater Lake gives up plenty of largemouths to 6 pounds.
Largemouths can be found throughout Coldwater Lake, but several areas produce consistent action at certain times of the year. An area on the south end of the lake referred to as Shawnee Shoals, is a good location to look for spawning bass when the season opens in late May. Post-spawn bass then fan out around some humps found there throughout the summer months. A well-defined weed line in 10 to 20 feet of water off Canada Shores is a prime hangout for summer bass. Drop shotting along the weed edge is a hot tactic. Chucking a spinner bait is a good way to entice largemouths from the weed flats and structure found off the southeast corner of Lyopawa Island. A flat called “The Kettles” is a steady produce of bucketmouths for those that like to fish Texas-rigged worms or Carolina-rigged lizards. A hump straight out from the boat launch on the northwest side of the lake is exactly the kind of spot you’ll want to target for summer bass.
For information on cottages, bait shops and campgrounds in the area contact the Coldwater-Branch County Chamber of Commerce at (517) 278-5985 or online at www.branch-county.com.
Randall Lake
Branch County’s 513-acre Randall Lake is actually three lakes in one. Commonly referred to as Randall Lake, the lake is actually made up of Cemetery, North and Randall lakes, but it’s impossible to tell where one ends and the other begins. Bass know no boundaries and inhabit all of them. You won’t find a lot of lunker bass in Randall, but you will find lots of bass.
You won’t have to go far to find good bassin’ on Randall Lake. A series of humps right out from the boat ramp is a good location for largemouths. Try top-water baits here early and late in the day. Heavy weeds, humps and a prominent break line in the northeast corner of Randall Lake make this a can’t-miss spot for bucketmouths. Spinnerbaits are a good bet when the bass are active. Slow down and crawl a jig or Texas-rigged worm if the bass are more finicky. Zara Spooks and Pop-R’s produce exciting top-water action when the lake is calm. A horseshoe-shaped bar on the west shore of North Lake concentrates summer bass. Weeds are the key, but any wood you can find in the water is worth checking out. The defined weed lines along the south shore of Cemetery Lake is a perfect spot to chuck a spinner bait and cover water.
Contact the Coldwater-Branch County Chamber of Commerce for information on lodging and amenities in the area.
Lake Orion
Oakland County’s Lake Orion is located in the middle of suburbia, but it’s still a topnotch bass lake. In fact, it’s one of the better ones in southeast Michigan.
“White is always a good color on Lake Orion,” claimed Kelly Bridgewater of KD Outdoors in Waterford. Bridgewater justified her claim on the fact that Lake Orion has a land-locked population of alewives that the bass there key on. Lures with white on them seem to match the alewives. Find the pelagic baitfish and you’ll find bass. The forage allows largemouths in Lake Orion to grow to chunky proportions. 3- to 4-pound bucketmouths are common on Lake Orion and 7 pounders aren’t unheard of.
There’s no lack of structure on 470-acre Lake Orion. Lake Orion doesn’t have a lot of woody cover, with the exception of a bay on the south side of the lake. Twitch a stick bait on the surface here or bump the stumps with a spinner bait and you’re likely to encounter some very nice bass. Like most southern Michigan lakes that allow it, recreational boaters churn Lake Orion to a froth on weekends, but you can avoid them and find some good bass in the coves and back bays located on the west side of the lake. The main body of the lake is a maze of humps and sloping contours that provide ideal bass structure. Early in the season, before the weeds reach the surface, is a good time to cast spinner baits and crankbaits. Later, work buzz baits or twitch surface lures over the weed tops.
For more information on Lake Orion largemouths contact KD Outdoors at (248) 666-7799.
Lake Fenton
You won’t find many lakes in Genesee County, but 845-acre Lake Fenton is about as good as they come for largemouths. Lake Fenton has excellent water quality, depth, structure and vegetation. Everything a bass needs.
Look for largemouths on the south end of Lake Fenton when the season opens. This shallow end of the lake warms quickly and spawning bass seek out the warm water. As the bass fan out after the spawn look for mid-lake flats and submergent vegetation off Log Cabin Point and Case Island to attract plenty of bucketmouths. Fish topping 5 pounds are not uncommon. Drag a Carolina-rigged lizard or worm for best results. Summer finds bass schools in surprisingly deep water off points on the north end of the lake. Drop shotting is a proven tactic then. When in doubt find some thick weeds. Let a spinner bait flutter into the openings there and hold on.
For maps, tackle and information on Lake Fenton contact the Flint Gander Mountain store at (810) 230-1212.
Fletcher Floodwater
There aren’t many northern Michigan lakes that are ideally suited to largemouth bass. Fletcher Floodwater or Pond is one of them. There are many who claim that it just might be the best largemouth lake in Michigan.
The deepest water on Fletcher is only seven or eight feet, mainly along the old river channel. The rest of the lake is one big stump field and bass can be found just about anywhere in it. Key is to cover water on this 9,000-acre impoundment and keep your lure out of the weeds. Watching a big bucketmouth explode on a Pop R, Zara Spook or Rapala is about as much fun as it gets. The top-water stuff works best early in the season before the weeds get too thick. Plopping a Texas-rigged lizard into holes in the weed mats can be dynamite later in the summer. Spinner baits in chartreuse or white are killer when allowed to “bump the stumps,” which triggers foraging largemouths.
“There may not be a lake in Michigan that produces more 5-pound largemouths,” claimed Dean Robinson of Jack’s Landing. And bass pushing 7 pounds are unheard of. More consistent water levels in recent years has helped bass spawning success and bluegill and sunfish numbers, a favorite forage of Fletcher largemouths.
For bait, tackle and information on Fletcher Pond largemouths contact Jack’s Landing at (989) 742-4370. For information on lodging, attractions and other amenities in the area contact the Alpena Convention & Visitors Bureau at (800) 425-7362 or online at www.alpena.net.
Largemouth bass anglers may be in the minority in Michigan, but they don’t mind. That way they’ve some great fishing all to themselves.
