Basford Lake in Lake County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Basford Lake is one of the Lake County listings for Michigan. It lies 830 feet above sea level. With some 27 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Baldwin sits 6.3 miles from here and is the nearest stop. Grand Rapids is the closest city, 62 miles away. Being near a boundary, it pays to know which side you are fishing.

• Where to Fish on Basford Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Open biodiversity records for Lake County list rainbow trout, brook trout, white sucker and bluegill. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Work Basford Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 69°F and January about 20°F. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near early April. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about early April until roughly mid December. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. It sets the rhythm of the year at Basford Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. A carry of half a mile from the nearest parking is the price of fishing here. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Failing this one, try Miller Lake, 0.5 miles away. For Basford Lake in particular, ask before you travel.