Coon Lake in Grand Traverse County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Look for Coon Lake in the Grand Traverse County part of Michigan. The country round it is lake country bush from end to end. Surface area runs to about 6 acres — small enough to read in one session. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Grand Traverse County. Traverse City lies 5.9 miles from the water. Greilickville follows at 7.5 miles, then Kingsley at 8.1 miles. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Coon Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Grand Traverse County records list rock bass, yellow perch and white sucker among the fish reported. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Take Coon Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 20°F in January and 69°F in July. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Once it clears, about early April, the fishing comes on quickly. Ice clears near early April and comes back about mid December in a typical year. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Coon Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. The car has to stay half a mile away, which shapes how much tackle you bring. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Failing this one, try Chandler Lake, 1.2 miles away. What applies at Coon Lake may have changed since it was mapped.