Guthrie Lake Fishing near Gaylord, Michigan

• Overview

  Otsego County in Michigan is where Guthrie Lake sits. This is rolling bush country. Roughly 124 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. Around 2.1 miles of margin, front to back. Few waters listed in Otsego County are bigger. Gaylord is the closest town at 12 miles. Grayling lies 15 miles off, Lewiston another 15 miles. It sits near the edge of the county, so check which rules apply.

• Where to Fish on Guthrie Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Otsego County records list rock bass, white sucker, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill among the fish reported. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. At Guthrie Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 17°F in January and 67°F in July. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. The lid usually goes in mid April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Open water usually runs from mid April until about early December. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. It sets the rhythm of the year at Guthrie Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. A boat ramp sits half a mile away, so trailered boats can get on. There is a jetty half a mile off, worth knowing on a busy day. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. For a change of water, Marsh Lake is 0.7 miles distant. For Guthrie Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.