Fishing at Sloan Lake, Livingston County, Michigan

• Overview

  Livingston County, Michigan, is where Sloan Lake sits. What surrounds it is lake country bush. It measures about 57 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. Around 2.1 miles of margin, front to back. The nearest place of any size is Milford, 4 miles away. For a city, Ann Arbor is 21 miles off. Being near a boundary, it pays to know which side you are fishing.

• Where to Fish on Sloan Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. The arms fish better than the open middle whenever the water is up. A reservoir gives you a hard edge, a shelf, and not much else. Records held for Livingston County cover bluegill, largemouth bass, black crappie and pink salmon. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. At Sloan Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 71°F; the cold one sits at 22°F. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Ice-out usually falls in late March, and the weeks after it fish hardest. The season between ice runs from about late March to mid December. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. At Sloan Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. Parking is not close: half a mile from the bank, and no nearer option is mapped. There is a jetty 170 yards off, worth knowing on a busy day. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. If the gate is shut, Pickett Lake at 0.6 miles is the nearest alternative. Ask locally about Sloan Lake if anything is unclear.