Fishing Big Cedar Lake in Barry County, Michigan

• Overview

  In Michigan, Big Cedar Lake belongs to Barry County. Around the bank it is rolling bush. With some 84 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. The edge runs 2.2 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. On our Barry County list it sits near the top for size. Stony Point at 4.2 miles is the nearest place to stop. South Gull Lake is 8.9 miles and Hastings 9.7 miles. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Big Cedar Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Reported across Barry County: bluegill, largemouth bass and yellow perch. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. On Big Cedar Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July near 71°F and January near 22°F on the long-run figures. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from late March. On the long-run averages the water opens up around late March and starts locking again about mid December. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. Big Cedar Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Shallow Lake, 1.1 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Treat Big Cedar Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.