Fishing at East Lake, Allegan County, Michigan

• Overview

  East Lake lies in Allegan County, Michigan. The bank gives way to mixed forest. The water covers some 54 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Roughly 1.4 miles of bank means you can walk to a fresh area when one goes quiet. It is low-lying compared with other Michigan water we list. Wayland sits 6.5 miles from here and is the nearest stop. Grand Rapids sits 22 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on East Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. County-wide records name alewife, rainbow smelt, yellow perch and bloater. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. East Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 71°F and January near 22°F. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near late March. On the long-run averages the water opens up around late March and starts locking again about mid December. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. The season on East Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. A camping area sits within half a mile of here. For the carp, bait a margin spot and sit on it; corn and bread still work. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. McDermott Lake sits 0.4 miles off and takes the overflow. Confirm before you fish East Lake.