Fishing at Mud Lake, Antrim County, Michigan

• Overview

  Look for Mud Lake in Antrim County, Michigan. Land around it is lake country bush. It runs to roughly 31 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The nearest town is East Jordan, 5 miles away. Green Bay is the closest city, 146 miles away. The county line runs close by, so rules can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Mud Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Open biodiversity records for Antrim County list brook trout, yellow perch, smallmouth bass, rock bass and white sucker. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Mud Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 68°F and January near 20°F. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around mid April. The lid tends to go about mid April and return around mid December. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. Time your trip to Mud Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Scotts Lake, 1.8 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Confirm before you fish Mud Lake.