Burkhart Lake Fishing in Washtenaw County, Michigan

• Overview

  Burkhart Lake sits within Washtenaw County in Michigan. The surface lies 922 feet up. It covers about 19 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. You are 4.8 miles from Chelsea. Ann Arbor is the closest city, 17 miles away. Close by you also have: Twamley Lake some 0.3 miles off, Wild Goose Lake lies 0.7 miles on, Sullivan Lakes some 0.7 miles off, Island Lake lies 1.2 miles on and North Lake some 1.2 miles off. Rules can differ a short way off, since the county line is near.

• Where to Fish on Burkhart 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. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Open biodiversity records for Washtenaw County list bluegill, largemouth bass, rock bass, black crappie and yellow perch. The county list is broader than any single water. On Burkhart Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 71°F for July and 22°F for January. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around late March. Break-up near late March, freeze-up near mid December: that is the shape of an average year. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. It sets the rhythm of the year at Burkhart Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. Public data records a pier about 100 yards out. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. If the gate is shut, Twamley Lake at 0.3 miles is the nearest alternative. Nothing here settles the position at Burkhart Lake for certain.