Odessa Lakes near Vassar: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Odessa Lakes falls in Tuscola County, part of Michigan. The ground round it is pine and birch. A pocket of water where every cast reaches cover. On size it sits at the modest end of our Tuscola County list. The town to know is Vassar, 3 miles out. Sterling Heights sits 61 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Odessa Lakes

  Depth figures are not published for this one. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Open biodiversity records for Tuscola County list bluegill, largemouth bass, common carp and black crappie. The county list is broader than any single water. Read Odessa Lakes for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 21°F and July at about 71°F, the water has a wide range to work through. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Ice is part of the season here, ending near early April. Averages suggest open water from about early April through to roughly mid December. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Odessa Lakes runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. For a change of water, Murphy Lake is 6.8 miles distant. Ask locally about Odessa Lakes if anything is unclear.