Crooked Lake Fishing in Clare County, Michigan

• Overview

  The Clare County end of Michigan holds Crooked Lake. Height above sea level is 1,040 feet. Roughly 277 acres of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. The edge covers about 5.1 miles, enough to hold several distinct areas. Few waters listed in Clare County are bigger. The town to know is Clare, 12 miles out. Evart follows at 13 miles, then Lake Isabella at 14 miles. A border sits close enough to be relevant to the paperwork.

• Where to Fish on Crooked Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Public occurrence data for Clare County names bluegill, largemouth bass and pink salmon. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. At Crooked Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 68°F; by January the average is down near 19°F. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near early April. Climate figures give an open season running early April to mid December. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. That is the shape of the year on Crooked Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. You can launch from a ramp around half a mile away. The closest car park is half a mile away, so pack accordingly. 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. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Should this one be busy, Perch Lake is 0.7 miles off. Confirm before you fish Crooked Lake.