McLaughlin Lake Fishing in Washtenaw County, Michigan

• Overview

  McLaughlin Lake sits in Washtenaw County, out in Michigan. Land around it is lake country bush. Surface area runs to about 3 acres — small enough to read in one session. On size it sits at the modest end of our Washtenaw County list. Supplies mean a trip to Chelsea, 2.1 miles off. For a city, Ann Arbor is 16 miles off. It sits near the edge of the county, so check which rules apply.

• Where to Fish on McLaughlin Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Open biodiversity records for Washtenaw County list bluegill, largemouth bass, rock bass and black crappie. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. The shape of McLaughlin Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 22°F in January up to 71°F in July. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around late March. Averages place the thaw at late March and the freeze at mid December. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. That is the shape of the year on McLaughlin Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. The nearest mapped parking is half a mile away, so the last stretch is on foot. Fishing from a pier is possible half a mile away. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. If the gate is shut, Canfield Lake at 0.7 miles is the nearest alternative. Check the current arrangement for McLaughlin Lake.