Lost Lake near Howard City: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Look for Lost Lake in Newaygo County, Michigan. What surrounds it is pine and birch. It covers about 24 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Howard City at 5.7 miles is the nearest place to stop. For a city, Grand Rapids is 27 miles off. Being near a boundary, it pays to know which side you are fishing.

• Where to Fish on Lost Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Survey and observation records for Newaygo County include largemouth bass, bluegill, yellow perch and johnny darter. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Read Lost Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 70°F and January reads 21°F. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. Break-up comes around early April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Open water usually runs from early April until about mid December. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. That is the shape of the year on Lost Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. A carry of half a mile from the nearest parking is the price of fishing here. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. For a change of water, Waltman Lake is 0.7 miles distant. Nothing here settles the position at Lost Lake for certain.