Middle Lake in Allegan County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  This water sits in Allegan County, Michigan. The country round it is lake country bush from end to end. About 16 acres of surface, which puts the far bank inside easy sight. It lies lower than most water we list in Michigan. Allegan is the closest town at 3.9 miles. Otsego lies 7.7 miles off, Plainwell another 10 miles. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Middle Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Records held for Allegan County cover alewife, rainbow smelt, yellow perch, bloater and bluegill. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. The near bank of Middle Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 23°F to 71°F. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from late March. The water is typically free of ice between late March and mid December. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. It sets the rhythm of the year at Middle Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Pike Lake Boat Launch provides a boat ramp about half a mile away. For the carp, bait a margin spot and sit on it; corn and bread still work. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Lake Sixteen sits 0.4 miles off and takes the overflow. Ask locally about Middle Lake if anything is unclear.