Fishing at Pretty Lake, Mecosta County, Michigan

• Overview

  Mecosta County, Michigan, is where Pretty Lake sits. The bank is 1,004 feet above sea level. It runs to roughly 119 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Shoreline comes to about 1.6 miles, small enough to learn in a day. It is among the larger waters listed here for Mecosta County. The town to know is Canadian Lakes, 8.7 miles out. Big Rapids is 12 miles and Lake Isabella 12 miles. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Pretty Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. County-wide records name bluegill, largemouth bass, rock bass, black crappie and northern pike. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. Pretty Lake repays a walk before the first cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 69°F for July and 19°F for January. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Once it clears, about early April, the fishing comes on quickly. Open water usually runs from early April until about mid December. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. It holds true on Pretty Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Pretty Lake Boat Launch sits about half a mile away and carries the launch. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. For a change of water, Bluegill Lake is 0.5 miles distant. Check the position on Pretty Lake before loading the car.