Lily Lake Fishing near Hastings, Michigan

• Overview

  Lily Lake lies in Barry County, Michigan. The ground round it is pine and birch. Surface area runs to about 6 acres — small enough to read in one session. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Barry County. Hastings sits 1.5 miles from the bank. Grand Rapids is the closest city, 30 miles away. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Lily Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Open biodiversity records for Barry County list bluegill, largemouth bass and yellow perch. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. The shape of Lily Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 71°F and January reads 22°F. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around late March. In an average year the thaw lands around late March and the freeze near mid December. From the thaw to midsummer the fishing improves week by week. The season on Lily Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. Expect 0.9 miles away in from where the car goes. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Tanner Lake sits 2.1 miles off and takes the overflow. Nothing on Lily Lake should be assumed from this page alone.