Shelley Lake Fishing in Newaygo County, Michigan

• Overview

  Shelley Lake lies within the bounds of Newaygo County, Michigan. The bank gives way to lake country bush. At 12 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. Supplies mean a trip to White Cloud, 11 miles off. Baldwin is 13 miles away, with Big Rapids at 16 miles. Within a short run: Bluegill Lake at 1.3 miles, Middle Lake some 1.6 miles off, Moonbeam Lake at 1.7 miles, Bass Lake some 1.9 miles off and Perch Lake at 2.2 miles. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Shelley Lake

  Depth is not on record here, so the bank has to tell you. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Reported across Newaygo County: largemouth bass, bluegill, yellow perch, johnny darter and white sucker. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. Treat Shelley Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 68°F and January about 20°F. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Once it clears, about early April, the fishing comes on quickly. Averages place the thaw at early April and the freeze at mid December. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. The season on Shelley Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. There is somewhere to leave the car, half a mile off. There is camping recorded roughly half a mile off. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Bluegill Lake, 1.3 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. For Shelley Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.