Deer Lake in Crawford County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Deer Lake is listed under Crawford County, Michigan. Beyond the shoreline you have lake country bush. Small at around 16 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. About 1.1 miles of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. Supplies mean a trip to Mancelona, 11 miles off. Grand Rapids sits 140 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The county line runs close by, so rules can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Deer Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Species logged across Crawford County include white sucker, rock bass, yellow perch and largemouth bass. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Take Deer Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 17°F in January and 67°F in July. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Ice-out usually falls in mid April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about mid April until roughly early December. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. That is the shape of the year on Deer Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. The nearest alternative is Lake Washwomen, 1.5 miles out. Rules at Deer Lake are worth checking on the day.