Fishing at Campau Lake, Isabella County, Michigan

• Overview

  Look for Campau Lake in the Isabella County part of Michigan. It stands 846 feet above sea level. It covers about 5 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. On size it sits at the modest end of our Isabella County list. Lake Isabella lies 7.4 miles from the water. Mount Pleasant is 7.6 miles and Shepherd 11 miles. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Campau Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Fish documented in Isabella County include johnny darter, white sucker and rainbow darter. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. At Campau Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 20°F in January to roughly 70°F in July. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Look for the thaw near early April; the fishing lifts straight after. Ice usually gives way near early April, and forms again about mid December. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. The season on Campau Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. The car has to stay half a mile away, which shapes how much tackle you bring. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Wing Lake at 2.3 miles is the sensible second choice. Ask locally about Campau Lake if anything is unclear.