Podunk Lake in Barry County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Within Barry County, Michigan, you have Podunk Lake. The water sits 876 feet up. With some 84 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Around 1.8 miles of margin, front to back. Few waters listed in Barry County are bigger. Supplies mean a trip to Hastings, 3.9 miles off. Stony Point lies 8.8 miles off, Middleville another 9.1 miles. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Podunk Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Public occurrence data for Barry County names bluegill, largemouth bass, yellow perch, black crappie and pink salmon. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. On Podunk Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 22°F to 71°F. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around late March. On the long-run averages the water opens up around late March and starts locking again about mid December. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. The season on Podunk Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Public mapping records no formal access here, so plan for a walk and soft ground. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Failing this one, try Tanner Lake, 1.2 miles away. Treat Podunk Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.