Fishing at Howard Lake, Kalamazoo County, Michigan

• Overview

  Look for Howard Lake in the Kalamazoo County part of Michigan. The surroundings are mixed forest. Roughly 118 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. The nearest place of any size is Schoolcraft, 3.4 miles away. It is 43 miles to South Bend, the nearest city. Also worth knowing: Black Lake at 0.6 miles, Goose Lake about 0.7 miles, Tub Lake at 0.9 miles, Barton Lake about 1.9 miles and Kimble Lake at 2.7 miles. Local rules may differ a few miles either side of here.

• Where to Fish on Howard Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Reported across Kalamazoo County: bluegill, largemouth bass and yellow perch. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. On Howard Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 72°F and January reads 23°F. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around late March. Break-up near late March, freeze-up near mid December: that is the shape of an average year. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. On Howard Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. A pier half a mile from here gives a platform over deeper water. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Should this one be busy, Black Lake is 0.6 miles off. For Howard Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.