Fishing at Otter Lake, Clare County, Michigan

• Overview

  Otter Lake sits within Clare County in Michigan. This is pine and birch country. At 22 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Nearest place of any size is Clare, 4.7 miles away. Then Harrison, 11 miles, and Coleman, 15 miles. Within a short run: Lake Thirteen 0.9 miles away, 1.5 miles away is Thurston Lake, Gut Lake 1.7 miles away, 1.7 miles away is Devil Lake and Johnny Lake 2.1 miles away. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Otter Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. County-wide records name bluegill, largemouth bass and pink salmon. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. On Otter Lake that means starting tight and working out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 69°F in July and bottoms out near 19°F in January. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Ice is part of the season here, ending near early April. In an average year the thaw lands around early April and the freeze near mid December. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. The season on Otter Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Lake Thirteen, 0.9 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Check the current arrangement for Otter Lake.