Lake Little Bear Fishing Guide, Otsego County, Michigan

• Overview

  Lake Little Bear is listed under Otsego County, Michigan. The setting is rolling bush on every side. Surface area runs to about 7 acres — small enough to read in one session. On size it sits at the modest end of our Otsego County list. Some 8.3 miles away sits Gaylord, the nearest settlement. Further out sit Mancelona (13 miles) and Bellaire (20 miles). Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Lake Little Bear

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. 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. Records held for Otsego County cover rock bass, white sucker, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. At Lake Little Bear the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 17°F in January to roughly 66°F in July. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from mid April. Open water usually runs from mid April until about early December. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Lake Little Bear.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. If the gate is shut, Lake Arrowhead at 0.3 miles is the nearest alternative. Where Lake Little Bear is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.