Burns Lake Fishing Guide, Oakland County, Michigan

• Overview

  Burns Lake is set in Oakland County, Michigan. The setting is mixed forest on every side. Head to Holly, 3 miles away, for anything you forgot. Beyond it, Fenton at 6.7 miles and Lake Fenton at 7.1 miles. More in the same country: Crystal Lake some 0.7 miles off, Minnie Lake 0.7 miles off, Spring Lake some 0.8 miles off, Little Crotched Lake 1.2 miles off and Crotched Lake some 1.3 miles off. A county boundary sits nearby, which can matter for local access rules.

• Where to Fish on Burns Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Survey and observation records for Oakland County include bluegill, black crappie, largemouth bass, yellow perch and rock bass. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. At Burns Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July near 70°F and January near 22°F on the long-run figures. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around early April. The water is typically free of ice between early April and mid December. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. It holds true on Burns Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. There is somewhere to leave the car, half a mile off. Holly State Recreation Area covers this ground, which means extra rules to check. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Should this one be busy, Crystal Lake is 0.7 miles off. Check the current arrangement for Burns Lake.