Fishing Dead Lake in Livingston County, Michigan

• Overview

  The Livingston County entry here is Dead Lake, in Michigan. The setting is rolling bush. For supplies, Pinckney is 4.5 miles out. Further out sit Chelsea (6.2 miles) and Dexter (7.4 miles). Within a short drive: North Lake within 0.9 miles, Pickerel Lake after 1 mile, Halfmoon Lake within 1.1 miles, Blind Lake after 1.1 miles and Hi-Land Lake within 1.2 miles. Local rules may differ a few miles either side of here.

• Where to Fish on Dead Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Records held for Livingston County cover bluegill, largemouth bass, black crappie and pink salmon. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. The near bank of Dead Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 22°F to 71°F. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Winter locks it down, and late March brings it back. Expect the water usable from around late March until roughly mid December. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. The season on Dead Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. A ramp at North Lake Boat Launch is mapped half a mile away. Expect a half a mile walk in from where the car goes. A platform or pier sits within half a mile. There are toilets mapped about half a mile away. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Failing this one, try North Lake, 0.9 miles away. Nothing on Dead Lake should be assumed from this page alone.