Mud Lake near Paw Paw: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  You will find Mud Lake in Van Buren County, Michigan. What surrounds it is pine and birch. At 16 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. The nearest town is Paw Paw, 2.2 miles away. South Bend is the closest city, 42 miles away. The boundary is close enough to be worth checking before you fish. It is the kind of place people fish for years without exhausting.

• Where to Fish on Mud Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. County-wide records name bluegill, largemouth bass, yellow perch, pink salmon and black crappie. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. At Mud Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 23°F to 72°F. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about late March. The water is typically free of ice between late March and mid December. The first weeks of open water and the last are the ones to plan for. It holds true on Mud Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. For a change of water, Sand Lake is 0.4 miles distant. Signs at Mud Lake carry more weight than any list.