Fishing at Grass Lake, Clare County, Michigan

• Overview

  Clare County, Michigan, is where Grass Lake sits. Around the bank it is rolling bush. Surface area runs to about 8 acres — small enough to read in one session. Most waters listed here for Clare County are larger. For a base, Houghton Lake sits 9 miles out. For a city, Grand Rapids is 95 miles off. Rules can differ a short way off, since the county line is near.

• Where to Fish on Grass Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Clare County records list bluegill, largemouth bass, pink salmon and northern pike among the fish reported. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Fish Grass Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 68°F, with January the cold end at about 18°F. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from mid April. Open water usually runs from mid April until about early December. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Time your trip to Grass Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Wraco Lodge Lake, 2.7 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. What applies at Grass Lake may have changed since it was mapped.