Smalley Lake Fishing Guide, Lenawee County, Michigan

• Overview

  Set in Lenawee County, Smalley Lake is a Michigan water. The ground around here is lake country bush. Surface area runs to about 4 acres — small enough to read in one session. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Lenawee County. For supplies, Clinton is 3.7 miles out. The big place round here is Ann Arbor, 21 miles distant. Being near a boundary, it pays to know which side you are fishing.

• Where to Fish on Smalley Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Fish documented in Lenawee County include bluegill, largemouth bass, yellow perch and rock bass. The county list is broader than any single water. On Smalley Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 22°F and July at about 71°F, the water has a wide range to work through. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. Once it clears, about late March, the fishing comes on quickly. Expect the water usable from around late March until roughly mid December. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. At Smalley Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. There is no recorded infrastructure here; expect to find your own way in. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. For a change of water, Cranberry Lake is 1.1 miles distant. For Smalley Lake in particular, ask before you travel.