Fishing Little Pleasant Lake in Saint Joseph County, Michigan

• Overview

  Little Pleasant Lake lies in Saint Joseph County, in Michigan. Beyond the shoreline you have mixed forest. With some 30 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Three Rivers at 3.2 miles is the nearest place to stop. Constantine is 7.7 miles away, with Marcellus at 8.1 miles. You are close to a county edge here; who manages the access can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Little Pleasant Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Across Saint Joseph County, recorded fish include bluegill, largemouth bass, yellow perch, black crappie and pink salmon. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Work Little Pleasant Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 72°F on average, January about 23°F. Winter shuts the surface down for months. After late March the shallows warm and the fish move up. The season between ice runs from about late March to mid December. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Little Pleasant Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Coon Hollow Preserve runs up to the bank here, which usually means extra restrictions. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Pleasant Lake sits 0.7 miles off and takes the overflow. Check the current arrangement for Little Pleasant Lake.