Fishing at Newburgh Lake, Wayne County, Michigan

• Overview

  Look for Newburgh Lake in Wayne County, Michigan. The setting is lake country bush. It runs to roughly 93 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The bank runs about 2.7 miles all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. Ground here is low by Michigan standards. Plymouth at 2.2 miles is the nearest place to stop. Westland is 3.3 miles and Livonia 3.9 miles. The line between counties passes nearby, which can change who manages the water.

• Where to Fish on Newburgh Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. Points where the flooded channel swings in are the reliable ones. Look for where the old bank line still shows under the surface. Fish documented in Wayne County include common carp, goldfish and bluegill. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. On Newburgh Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 73°F for July and 23°F for January. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. After late March the shallows warm and the fish move up. On the long-run averages the water opens up around late March and starts locking again about late December. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. The season on Newburgh Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Parking is mapped about half a mile from the bank. There is a jetty half a mile off, worth knowing on a busy day. A marked angling spot sits within half a mile. There are toilets mapped about half a mile away. City Park takes in this water; protected-area rules will apply. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. For a change of water, Phoenix Lake is 2.7 miles distant.