Pickerel Lake Fishing Guide, Livingston County, Michigan

• Overview

  Livingston County in Michigan is where Pickerel Lake sits. The water sits 889 feet up. At about 27 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. Brighton sits 2.4 miles from the bank. The nearest city of size is Ann Arbor, 17 miles away. A county boundary sits nearby, which can matter for local access rules. There is no development on most of the bank.

• Where to Fish on Pickerel Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Survey and observation records for Livingston County include bluegill, largemouth bass and black crappie. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. The near bank of Pickerel Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 71°F, with January the cold end at about 22°F. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. Count the season from break-up, usually late March. On the long-run averages the water opens up around late March and starts locking again about mid December. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. Expect Pickerel Lake to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. Parking sits 0.9 miles out, which makes for a walk with tackle. Mapping records toilets within 0.9 miles. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. For a change of water, Woodruff Lake is 0.4 miles distant. What applies at Pickerel Lake may have changed since it was mapped.