Rice Lake near Holly: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Rice Lake falls in Oakland County, part of Michigan. The surroundings are mixed forest. Small at around 15 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Head to Holly, 1 mile away, for anything you forgot. Fenton is 4.8 miles away, with Lake Fenton at 5.9 miles. Within easy reach: Bush Lake after 0.4 miles, Drake Lake within 0.7 miles, Tooley Lake after 0.7 miles, Simonson Lake within 0.7 miles and Bevins Lake after 1.1 miles. The boundary is close enough to be worth checking before you fish.

• Where to Fish on Rice Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Across Oakland County, recorded fish include bluegill, black crappie and largemouth bass. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Read Rice Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 70°F and January reads 22°F. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around early April. Ice usually gives way near early April, and forms again about mid December. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. That shapes the year on Rice Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. A slipway is marked about half a mile from here. A car park sits roughly half a mile away. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. If the gate is shut, Bush Lake at 0.4 miles is the nearest alternative. Where Rice Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.