Fishing at Dollar Lake, Lapeer County, Michigan

• Overview

  Look for Dollar Lake in the Lapeer County part of Michigan. This is mixed forest ground. This is a pocket water of some 11 acres, and every part of it is reachable from the bank. Nearest town is North Branch, 5.7 miles off. Then Barnes Lake-Millers Lake, 6.8 miles, and Marlette, 11 miles. Being near a boundary, it pays to know which side you are fishing.

• Where to Fish on Dollar Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Reported across Lapeer County: bluegill, largemouth bass and pink salmon. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. Dollar Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 21°F to 70°F. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. After early April the shallows warm and the fish move up. In an average year the thaw lands around early April and the freeze near mid December. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Plan any trip to Dollar Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. No made access appears within a short radius, so plan to park on a verge and walk. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Evergreen Lake sits 0.5 miles off and takes the overflow. Treat Dollar Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.