Big Bradford Lake Fishing in Otsego County, Michigan

• Overview

  Out in Otsego County, Michigan, sits Big Bradford Lake. The ground round it is lake country bush. At 256 acres this is proper open water rather than a pond. Some 3.6 miles of bank gives room to move when the wind turns. Few waters listed in Otsego County are bigger. Some 11 miles away sits Gaylord, the nearest settlement. Grayling is 14 miles away, with Mancelona at 17 miles. The county line runs close by, so rules can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Big Bradford Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Records held for Otsego County cover rock bass, white sucker, largemouth bass and northern pike. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Anyone new to Big Bradford Lake should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 66°F for July and 17°F for January. Hard water is a season in its own right here. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around mid April. Climate averages put the opening at about mid April and the closing near early December. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Plan around that when you fish Big Bradford Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Parking sits half a mile out, which makes for a walk with tackle. There is a jetty half a mile off, worth knowing on a busy day. A camping area sits within half a mile of here. Public toilets are recorded roughly half a mile off. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Lake Marjory sits 0.7 miles off and takes the overflow. None of that is settled for Big Bradford Lake in what we hold.