Dake Lake Fishing in Barry County, Michigan

• Overview

  Dake Lake lies in Barry County, in Michigan. The ground around here is pine and birch. With some 48 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. The whole outline is near 1.3 miles, and most of it is walkable. Stony Point lies 2.5 miles from the water. For a city, Grand Rapids is 37 miles off. The county line runs close by, so rules can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Dake Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Across Barry County, recorded fish include bluegill, largemouth bass, yellow perch and black crappie. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. On Dake Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 71°F and January reads 22°F. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from late March. The open-water window runs from around late March to about mid December in an average year. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. That is the shape of the year on Dake Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Mapping records no facilities at all near this water. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. The nearest alternative is Mud Lake, 1 mile out. Nothing here settles the position at Dake Lake for certain.