Noble Lake in Livingston County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  The Livingston County end of Michigan holds Noble Lake. It stands 922 feet above sea level. Roughly 25 acres: a morning covers one end, an afternoon the other. The nearest town is Brighton, 1.1 miles away. The big place round here is Ann Arbor, 19 miles distant. The nearest boundary is a fair way off. Ground round the water is mixed, open in parts and thick in others.

• Where to Fish on Noble Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Reported across Livingston County: bluegill, largemouth bass, black crappie and pink salmon. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. At Noble Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July is the warm end of the year here, averaging about 71°F, while January sits near 22°F. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough late March. On the long-run averages the water opens up around late March and starts locking again about mid December. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. Time your trip to Noble Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. Launch at Woodland Lake Boat Launch, half a mile from the water. Parking sits half a mile out, which makes for a walk with tackle. A toilet block sits half a mile away. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Woodland Lake, 0.8 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. For Noble Lake in particular, ask before you travel.