Nevins Lake Fishing near Stanton, Michigan

• Overview

  Michigan holds Nevins Lake, in Montcalm County. The ground around here is pine and birch. The water covers some 53 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. The edge runs 1.1 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Stanton sits 3 miles from here and is the nearest stop. It is 35 miles to Grand Rapids, the nearest city. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Nevins Lake

  The records we hold are silent on depth, so plan to find it yourself. 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. Montcalm County records list bluegill, largemouth bass, white sucker, johnny darter and pink salmon among the fish reported. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Nevins Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 70°F for July and 21°F for January. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from early April. Break-up sits around early April on average, with the water closing again about mid December. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. At Nevins Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Nevins Lake Public Boat Launch provides a boat ramp about half a mile away. Expect a half a mile walk in from where the car goes. Public toilets are recorded roughly half a mile off. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Pickel Lake, 0.4 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Treat Nevins Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.