Fishing at Dagget Lake, Barry County, Michigan

• Overview

  Dagget Lake is one of the Barry County waters in Michigan. This is lake country bush country. About 17 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. Stony Point lies 6.6 miles from the water. It is 28 miles to Grand Rapids, the nearest city. Local rules may differ a few miles either side of here. The character changes with the season more than with the year.

• Where to Fish on Dagget Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Public occurrence data for Barry County names bluegill, largemouth bass, yellow perch, black crappie and pink salmon. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Dagget Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 71°F in July and bottom out at 22°F in January. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around late March. Climate averages put the opening at about late March and the closing near mid December. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. That is the shape of the year on Dagget Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. If the gate is shut, Snow Lake at 1.5 miles is the nearest alternative. Ask locally about Dagget Lake if anything is unclear.