Fishing at Little Tom Lake, Allegan County, Michigan

• Overview

  Little Tom Lake lies in Allegan County, in Michigan. The country here is pine and birch. Surface area runs to about 18 acres — small enough to read in one session. Ground here is low by Michigan standards. Nearest town is Fennville, 5.8 miles off. Grand Rapids sits 35 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Little Tom Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Survey and observation records for Allegan County include alewife, rainbow smelt, yellow perch and bloater. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Little Tom Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 23°F to 71°F. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Look for the thaw near late March; the fishing lifts straight after. Ice usually gives way near late March, and forms again about late December. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. On Little Tom Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. Boats go in at Little Tom Lake Boat Launch, roughly 160 yards from the water. Mapping shows a campsite some half a mile from the water. For the carp, bait a margin spot and sit on it; corn and bread still work. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Should this one be busy, Ely Lake is 0.5 miles off. Check the position on Little Tom Lake before loading the car.