Little Appleton Lake near Brighton: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Little Appleton Lake is set in Livingston County, Michigan. It sits in mixed forest. Surface area runs to about 5 acres — small enough to read in one session. On size it sits at the modest end of our Livingston County list. You are 3.4 miles from Brighton. The big place round here is Ann Arbor, 17 miles distant. Being near a boundary, it pays to know which side you are fishing.

• Where to Fish on Little Appleton Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Livingston County records list bluegill, largemouth bass, black crappie, pink salmon and yellow perch among the fish reported. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Treat Little Appleton Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July near 70°F and January near 22°F on the long-run figures. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about late March. Open water usually runs from late March until about mid December. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. Anyone fishing Little Appleton Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. You can launch from a ramp around half a mile away. Parking is mapped about 90 yards from the bank. Public data records a pier about half a mile out. You can camp about half a mile away, going by the mapping. Public toilets are recorded roughly half a mile off. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Appleton Lake at 0.3 miles is the sensible second choice. Check the current arrangement for Little Appleton Lake.