Perch Lake Fishing near Manitou Beach-Devils Lake, Michigan

• Overview

  Perch Lake is a Hillsdale County water, in Michigan. The water sits 1,050 feet up. At about 46 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. Shoreline comes to about 1.0 miles, small enough to learn in a day. Manitou Beach-Devils Lake lies 8.6 miles from the water. Brooklyn lies 9 miles off, Vandercook Lake another 9.4 miles. You are close to a county edge here; who manages the access can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Perch Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Species logged across Hillsdale County include bluegill, largemouth bass, yellow perch, black crappie and warmouth. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Perch Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 71°F and January near 22°F. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Ice-out usually falls in late March, and the weeks after it fish hardest. On average, late March opens the water and mid December closes it again. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. That is the shape of the year on Perch Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. You will be walking about half a mile from the nearest car park. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Should this one be busy, Crystal Lake is 0.4 miles off. Treat Perch Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.