Lake Neva, Michigan: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Within Oakland County, Michigan, you have Lake Neva. Beyond the shoreline you have rolling bush. At about 45 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. Milford is the closest town at 5.2 miles. Further out sit Wolverine Lake (6 miles) and Waterford (6.6 miles). The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lake Neva

  We hold no depth figure for this one. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Across Oakland County, recorded fish include bluegill, black crappie, largemouth bass, yellow perch and rock bass. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Work Lake Neva in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 71°F and January reads 22°F. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. The lid usually goes in early April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Averages suggest open water from about early April through to roughly mid December. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Plan any trip to Lake Neva around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. There is a mapped slipway roughly half a mile away. There is a jetty half a mile off, worth knowing on a busy day. Mapping records toilets within half a mile. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Brendel Lake, 0.6 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Treat Lake Neva as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.