Fishing Butternut Lake in Kent County, Michigan

• Overview

  Butternut Lake is a Kent County water, Michigan side. Height above sea level is 869 feet. Small at around 9 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Start from Howard City, 6.6 miles down the road. The nearest city of size is Grand Rapids, 25 miles away. A county boundary sits nearby, which can matter for local access rules.

• Where to Fish on Butternut Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Species logged across Kent County include bluegill, rock bass and johnny darter. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Anyone new to Butternut Lake should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 70°F in July and bottoms out near 21°F in January. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. The lid usually goes in early April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Break-up sits around early April on average, with the water closing again about mid December. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. Butternut Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Whitefish Lake at 0.9 miles is the sensible second choice. Rules at Butternut Lake are worth checking on the day.