Cranberry Lake Fishing in Clare County, Michigan

• Overview

  Cranberry Lake is one of the Clare County listings for Michigan. The setting is rolling bush. At about 118 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. The whole outline is near 2.3 miles, and most of it is walkable. Size puts it in the front rank of our Clare County list. For a base, Harrison sits 3.9 miles out. For a city, Grand Rapids is 89 miles off. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Cranberry Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Clare County records list bluegill, largemouth bass and pink salmon among the fish reported. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Work Cranberry Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 68°F at the top of summer and 18°F at the bottom of winter. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around early April. From about early April to around mid December, expect open water on the long-run figures. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. That shapes the year on Cranberry Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. A slipway is marked about half a mile from here. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. The nearest alternative is Arnold Lake, 1 mile out. Treat Cranberry Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.