Bass Lake Fishing in Grand Traverse County, Michigan

• Overview

  Bass Lake falls in Grand Traverse County, part of Michigan. It stands 817 feet above sea level. At about 91 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. Around 1.6 miles of margin, front to back. It ranks high for size among our Grand Traverse County listings. Kingsley is the closest place, 13 miles off. Further out sit Traverse City (14 miles) and Greilickville (15 miles). A county boundary sits nearby, which can matter for local access rules.

• Where to Fish on Bass Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. County-wide records name rock bass, yellow perch, white sucker and smallmouth bass. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. On Bass Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 68°F at the top of summer and 20°F at the bottom of winter. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Ice-out usually falls in early April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Ice usually gives way near early April, and forms again about mid December. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Plan any trip to Bass Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. A launch point is recorded some 170 yards off. There is recorded parking some half a mile off. There are toilets mapped about half a mile away. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Failing this one, try Green Lake, 1.4 miles away. None of that is settled for Bass Lake in what we hold.