Butter-ladle Lake, Michigan: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Within Lenawee County, Michigan, you have Butter-ladle Lake. The surroundings are lake country bush. Surface area runs to about 4 acres — small enough to read in one session. On size it sits at the modest end of our Lenawee County list. The nearest town is Manitou Beach-Devils Lake, 4.5 miles away. Further out sit Brooklyn (5.7 miles) and Napoleon (9.4 miles). The boundary is near enough that local access rules are worth double-checking.

• Where to Fish on Butter-ladle Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. County-wide records name bluegill, largemouth bass and yellow perch. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Read Butter-ladle Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 71°F and January at 22°F. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near 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. The season on Butter-ladle Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Miller Pond sits 0.4 miles off and takes the overflow. Treat Butter-ladle Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.