Fishing at Barbour Lake, Kalamazoo County, Michigan

• Overview

  The Kalamazoo County end of Michigan holds Barbour Lake. Elevation runs to 735 feet. About 6 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. Most waters listed here for Kalamazoo County are larger. Plainwell is the closest place, 4.8 miles off. Otsego follows at 4.8 miles, then Westwood at 7.5 miles. This one sits near enough to a boundary to be worth checking.

• Where to Fish on Barbour Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Fish documented in Kalamazoo County include bluegill, largemouth bass, yellow perch and rock bass. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. Take Barbour Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 71°F, with January the cold end at about 23°F. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. The lid usually goes in late March, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Averages suggest open water from about late March through to roughly mid December. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Anyone fishing Barbour Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Hipps Lake, 0.2 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. For Barbour Lake in particular, ask before you travel.