O'Connor Lake, Michigan: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  O'Connor Lake lies in Ogemaw County, Michigan. It stands 886 feet above sea level. Start from West Branch, 15 miles down the road. After that come Skidway Lake at 15 miles and Sand Lake at 16 miles. Others worth noting: George Lake some 0.7 miles off, 0.9 miles away is Grebe Lake, Rifle Lake some 0.9 miles off, 1.2 miles away is Scaup Lake and Lodge Lake some 1.3 miles off. The county line runs close by, so rules can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on O'Connor Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Ogemaw County records list bluegill, rock bass and pink salmon among the fish reported. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Read O'Connor Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 68°F; the cold one sits at 17°F. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Count the season from break-up, usually early April. Averages suggest open water from about early April through to roughly early December. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. O'Connor Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. A made slipway is half a mile from here, which settles the boat question. Recorded parking is half a mile off, far enough to travel light. Toilets show in mapping about half a mile away. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Failing this one, try George Lake, 0.7 miles away. Where O'Connor Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.