Bowen Lake Fishing Guide, Montcalm County, Michigan

• Overview

  Michigan holds Bowen Lake, in Montcalm County. Elevation runs to 840 feet. It runs to roughly 29 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The closest town, Greenville, is 6 miles away. After that come Cedar Springs at 11 miles and Belding at 11 miles. Local rules may differ a few miles either side of here.

• Where to Fish on Bowen Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Records held for Montcalm County cover bluegill, largemouth bass, white sucker, johnny darter and pink salmon. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Work Bowen Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 21°F to 70°F. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near early April. Averages place the thaw at early April and the freeze at mid December. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. It sets the rhythm of the year at Bowen Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. A car park sits roughly half a mile away. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Lincoln Lake sits 1.2 miles off and takes the overflow. Nothing on Bowen Lake should be assumed from this page alone.