Cranberry Lake in Lapeer County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Within Lapeer County, Michigan, you have Cranberry Lake. This is lake country bush country. About 17 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. Davison sits 3.4 miles from here and is the nearest stop. It is 39 miles to Sterling Heights, the nearest city. You are close to a county edge here; who manages the access can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Cranberry Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Records held for Lapeer County cover bluegill, largemouth bass and pink salmon. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. Cranberry Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 21°F to 70°F. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near early April. Ice usually gives way near early April, and forms again about mid December. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Cranberry Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. A carry of half a mile from the nearest parking is the price of fishing here. Petite Wetland Plant Preserve takes in this water; protected-area rules will apply. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Failing this one, try Potters Lake, 0.6 miles away. Confirm before you fish Cranberry Lake.