Coady Lake near Howard City: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  In Michigan, Coady Lake belongs to Montcalm County. It sits in lake country bush country. Roughly 52 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. With about 1.1 miles of edge, you can try several depths in one session. Supplies mean a trip to Howard City, 4.9 miles off. Lakeview follows at 7.8 miles, then Cedar Springs at 13 miles. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Coady Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Across Montcalm County, recorded fish include bluegill, largemouth bass and white sucker. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. Coady Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 70°F, with January the cold end at about 20°F. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Winter locks it down, and early April brings it back. Open water usually runs from early April until about mid December. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. Time your trip to Coady Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Cowden Lake, 1.3 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. What applies at Coady Lake may have changed since it was mapped.