Pleasant Lake Fishing near Baldwin, Michigan

• Overview

  Pleasant Lake is set in Mason County, Michigan. The bank is 719 feet above sea level. At 16 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Start from Baldwin, 13 miles down the road. The nearest city of size is Grand Rapids, 77 miles away. Close by you also have: Cranberry Lake sits 2 miles out, Noud Lake (2 miles), McFall Lake sits 2.1 miles out, Brasas Lake (2.2 miles) and Twin Lakes sits 2.4 miles out. Two sets of local rules meet not far from this water.

• Where to Fish on Pleasant Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Records held for Mason County cover rainbow smelt, alewife, bloater, yellow perch and johnny darter. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. On Pleasant Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 21°F to 69°F. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from early April. The lid tends to go about early April and return around mid December. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. The season on Pleasant Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. For the trout, small spinners and a box of nymphs cover both approaches. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. The nearest alternative is Cranberry Lake, 2 miles out. Check the position on Pleasant Lake before loading the car.