Riggins Lake Fishing near Berrien Springs, Michigan

• Overview

  Riggins Lake sits within Berrien County in Michigan. It sits in pine and birch country. It runs to roughly 45 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Berrien Springs sits 3.9 miles from here and is the nearest stop. Niles lies 7.4 miles off, Dowagiac another 8.7 miles. A border sits close enough to be relevant to the paperwork.

• Where to Fish on Riggins Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Reported across Berrien County: alewife, rainbow smelt, bloater and yellow perch. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. On Riggins Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 73°F, with January the cold end at about 24°F. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Once it clears, about mid March, the fishing comes on quickly. Expect the water usable from around mid March until roughly late December. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. It holds true on Riggins Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Failing this one, try Little Indian Lake, 1.9 miles away. None of that is settled for Riggins Lake in what we hold.