Lower Chub Lake in Otsego County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Lower Chub Lake sits within Otsego County in Michigan. What surrounds it is rolling bush. The water covers some 38 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Around 1.0 miles of margin, front to back. Supplies mean a trip to Gaylord, 10 miles off. For a city, Grand Rapids is 144 miles off. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Lower Chub Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Records held for Otsego County cover rock bass, white sucker, largemouth bass and northern pike. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. Lower Chub Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 67°F and January at 17°F. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about mid April. On average, mid April opens the water and early December closes it again. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Time your trip to Lower Chub Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Viking Lake, 1.4 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. For Lower Chub Lake in particular, ask before you travel.