Phipps Lake in Oakland County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Phipps Lake is listed under Oakland County, Michigan. It sits at 955 feet above sea level. At about 63 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. The whole outline is near 1.5 miles, and most of it is walkable. Ortonville lies 3.1 miles from the water. It is 30 miles to Sterling Heights, the nearest city. A county boundary sits nearby, which can matter for local access rules.

• Where to Fish on Phipps Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Species logged across Oakland County include bluegill, black crappie and largemouth bass. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Read Phipps Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 22°F to 70°F. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about early April. The season between ice runs from about early April to mid December. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. Anyone fishing Phipps Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. There is somewhere to leave the car, half a mile off. There is a jetty 160 yards off, worth knowing on a busy day. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. The nearest alternative is Tamarack Lake, 0.3 miles out. For Phipps Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.