Coles Lake near Kent City: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Coles Lake is set in Muskegon County, Michigan. It sits at 860 feet above sea level. The water measures roughly 5 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. Most waters listed here for Muskegon County are larger. Kent City at 4.5 miles is the nearest place to stop. Further out sit Sparta (9 miles) and Ravenna (9.1 miles). The boundary is close enough to be worth checking before you fish.

• Where to Fish on Coles Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Open biodiversity records for Muskegon County list bluegill, largemouth bass and yellow perch. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. Coles Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 70°F and January reads 21°F. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Winter locks it down, and early April brings it back. The open-water window runs from around early April to about mid December in an average year. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. At Coles Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Should this one be busy, Mud Lake is 1.2 miles off. Where Coles Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.