Fishing Sandbottom Lake in Kent County, Michigan

• Overview

  Sandbottom Lake sits in Kent County, out in Michigan. Beyond the shoreline you have rolling bush. At 24 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Greenville lies 6.8 miles from the water. Cedar Springs follows at 8.7 miles, then Rockford at 9.7 miles. Within easy reach: Crawford Lake lies 0.5 miles on, Harvard Lake at 1.1 miles, Angel Lake lies 1.4 miles on, Scram Lake at 1.8 miles and Brown Lake lies 1.9 miles on. A border sits close enough to be relevant to the paperwork.

• Where to Fish on Sandbottom Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Open biodiversity records for Kent County list bluegill, rock bass and johnny darter. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. At Sandbottom Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 70°F and January reads 21°F. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about early April. Averages suggest open water from about early April through to roughly mid December. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. At Sandbottom Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. The nearest alternative is Crawford Lake, 0.5 miles out. Ask locally about Sandbottom Lake if anything is unclear.