Fish Lake Fishing in Livingston County, Michigan

• Overview

  Set in Livingston County, Michigan, this is Fish Lake. Beyond the shoreline you have pine and birch. Around 41 acres of surface means several distinct areas to work. The edge runs 1.1 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Whitmore Lake is the closest town at 1.6 miles. Ann Arbor sits 12 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Two sets of local rules meet not far from this water.

• Where to Fish on Fish Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Records held for Livingston County cover bluegill, largemouth bass and black crappie. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Fish Fish Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 22°F and July at about 71°F, the water has a wide range to work through. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around late March. Ice clears near late March and comes back about mid December in a typical year. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. It sets the rhythm of the year at Fish Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No made access appears within a short radius, so plan to park on a verge and walk. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. The nearest alternative is Sandy Bottom Lake, 0.5 miles out. Confirm before you fish Fish Lake.