Fishing at Stone Lake, Saint Joseph County, Michigan

• Overview

  Look for Stone Lake in Saint Joseph County, Michigan. The water sits 814 feet up. At about 113 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. Roughly 1.5 miles of bank means you can walk to a fresh area when one goes quiet. The nearest place of any size is White Pigeon, 3.7 miles away. South Bend is the closest city, 31 miles away. The line between counties passes nearby, which can change who manages the water.

• Where to Fish on Stone Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Fish documented in Saint Joseph County include bluegill, largemouth bass, yellow perch and black crappie. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. The shape of Stone Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 23°F in January and 72°F in July. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around late March. In an average year the thaw lands around late March and the freeze near mid December. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. On Stone Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. A carry of half a mile from the nearest parking is the price of fishing here. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Should this one be busy, Brokesha Lake is 0.4 miles off. Nothing on Stone Lake should be assumed from this page alone.