Kelly Lake Fishing near Holly, Michigan

• Overview

  Kelly Lake is listed under Oakland County, Michigan. The setting is lake country bush. It covers about 17 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Some 3.4 miles away sits Holly, the nearest settlement. Sterling Heights sits 32 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Being near a boundary, it pays to know which side you are fishing.

• Where to Fish on Kelly Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Reported across Oakland County: bluegill, black crappie and largemouth bass. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. Kelly Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 70°F, while January sits near 22°F. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from early April. Climate figures give an open season running early April to mid December. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Plan around that when you fish Kelly Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. The nearest mapped parking is half a mile away, so the last stretch is on foot. There is a mapped landing stage half a mile away. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. If the gate is shut, Green Lake at 0.2 miles is the nearest alternative. Confirm access to Kelly Lake locally before you travel.