Fishing at Nelson Lake, Antrim County, Michigan

• Overview

  Look for Nelson Lake in Antrim County, Michigan. Country round the bank runs to lake country bush. It is pond-in-a-field scale, with the far bank a short lob away. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Antrim County. Some 0.9 miles away sits Mancelona, the nearest settlement. After that come Bellaire at 9.4 miles and Rapid City at 11 miles. The county line runs close by, so rules can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Nelson Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Public occurrence data for Antrim County names brook trout, yellow perch, smallmouth bass, rock bass and white sucker. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. On Nelson Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 67°F, with January the cold end at about 18°F. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around mid April. Averages suggest open water from about mid April through to roughly early December. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Plan around that when you fish Nelson Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. There is somewhere to leave the car, half a mile off. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Peckham Lake at 0.3 miles is the sensible second choice. For Nelson Lake in particular, ask before you travel.