Softwater Lake in Oakland County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Softwater Lake sits in Oakland County, out in Michigan. The land about it is mixed forest. At about 31 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. Bank access stretches around 1.0 miles in total. Clarkston is the closest place, 2.6 miles off. The big place round here is Sterling Heights, 25 miles distant. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Softwater Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Open biodiversity records for Oakland County list bluegill, black crappie, largemouth bass and yellow perch. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. At Softwater Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 70°F in July and bottom out at 22°F in January. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Count the season from break-up, usually early April. Break-up sits around early April on average, with the water closing again about mid December. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. Time your trip to Softwater Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. A made slipway is half a mile from here, which settles the boat question. A car park sits roughly half a mile away. Toilets show in mapping about half a mile away. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. If the gate is shut, Bridge Lake at 0.6 miles is the nearest alternative. What applies at Softwater Lake may have changed since it was mapped.