Colby Lake near Stanton: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Out in Montcalm County, Michigan, sits Colby Lake. The water sits 850 feet up. Small at around 18 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Nearest place of any size is Stanton, 1.8 miles away. For a city, Grand Rapids is 37 miles off. Alternatives close at hand: Grass Lake the better part of 0.7 miles, 0.9 miles out stands Twin Stone Lakes, Penny Lake the better part of 1.2 miles and 1.3 miles out stands Twin Lakes. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Colby Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Open biodiversity records for Montcalm County list bluegill, largemouth bass, white sucker and johnny darter. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. Read Colby Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 70°F for July and 20°F for January. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. The lid usually goes in early April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Climate figures give an open season running early April to mid December. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. It sets the rhythm of the year at Colby Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. There is a mapped slipway roughly 110 yards away. Recorded parking is half a mile off, far enough to travel light. Stanton State Game Area takes in this water; protected-area rules will apply. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Should this one be busy, Grass Lake is 0.7 miles off. Nothing here settles the position at Colby Lake for certain.