Fishing Soft Water Lake in Kent County, Michigan

• Overview

  Soft Water Lake is a Kent County water, in Michigan. It lies 659 feet above sea level. The water measures roughly 11 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. It lies lower than most water we list in Michigan. Comstock Park sits 1.9 miles from here and is the nearest stop. Grand Rapids is the closest city, 4.3 miles away. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Soft Water Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Open biodiversity records for Kent County list bluegill, rock bass, johnny darter, largemouth bass and black crappie. The county list is broader than any single water. Read Soft Water Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 71°F; the cold one sits at 22°F. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about late March. Averages place the thaw at late March and the freeze at mid December. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. Expect Soft Water Lake to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. There is a car park half a mile from the bank. Lamberton Lake Fen Nature Preserve covers ground next to the water; its rules will apply on that side. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Failing this one, try Lake Saint Jude, 0.2 miles away. Treat Soft Water Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.