Fishing Otter Lake in Genesee County, Michigan

• Overview

  Otter Lake is set in Genesee County, Michigan. Country round the bank runs to mixed forest. It covers about 4 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. It is a small entry by Genesee County standards. Some 2.3 miles away sits Argentine, the nearest settlement. Then Linden, 2.5 miles, and Lake Fenton, 6.4 miles. A county boundary sits nearby, which can matter for local access rules.

• Where to Fish on Otter Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Genesee County records list bluegill, largemouth bass, pink salmon and black crappie among the fish reported. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. On Otter Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 22°F to 70°F. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around early April. Ice usually gives way near early April, and forms again about mid December. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. On Otter Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Recorded parking is half a mile off, far enough to travel light. Part of this sits inside or beside Sharon Zahrfeld Memorial Nature Sanctuary, so read the notices. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Failing this one, try Shiawassee Lake, 0.9 miles away. Treat access at Otter Lake as something to verify.