Mench Lake Fishing in Lake County, Michigan

• Overview

  Look for Mench Lake in Lake County, Michigan. It sits at 837 feet above sea level. It runs to roughly 29 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Nearest town is Baldwin, 1.2 miles off. Reed City lies 18 miles off, Scottville another 21 miles. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Mench Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Fish documented in Lake County include rainbow trout, brook trout and white sucker. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. At Mench Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 69°F in July and bottom out at 20°F in January. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around early April. On the long-run averages the water opens up around early April and starts locking again about mid December. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. Plan around that when you fish Mench Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Parking sits 0.9 miles out, which makes for a walk with tackle. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Cashion Lake, 0.4 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Check the position at Mench Lake before loading the car.