Fishing at Bass Lake, Leelanau County, Michigan

• Overview

  Bass Lake belongs to Leelanau County, Michigan. It stands 702 feet above sea level. With some 87 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. The whole outline is near 1.6 miles, and most of it is walkable. Elk Rapids is the closest town at 16 miles. Greilickville is 19 miles and Traverse City 21 miles. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Bass Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Survey and observation records for Leelanau County include alewife, rock bass, yellow perch, Chinook salmon and lake whitefish. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. At Bass Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 21°F in January up to 68°F in July. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Count the season from break-up, usually mid April. The season between ice runs from about mid April to mid December. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Plan around that when you fish Bass Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Expect a half a mile walk in from where the car goes. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Mougeys Lake, 2.1 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Check the position on Bass Lake before loading the car.