Southwell Lake, Michigan: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Southwell Lake falls in Kalkaska County, part of Michigan. Around the bank it is pine and birch. The whole thing is a single swim; walk it in a minute. It is a small entry by Kalkaska County standards. Head to Mancelona, 5.8 miles away, for anything you forgot. The big place round here is Grand Rapids, 132 miles distant. The boundary is close enough to be worth checking before you fish.

• Where to Fish on Southwell Lake

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Records held for Kalkaska County cover yellow perch, white sucker, rock bass and largemouth bass. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. On Southwell Lake the first feature you find is usually worth a session.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 18°F in January to roughly 67°F in July. Hard water is a season in its own right here. After mid April the shallows warm and the fish move up. In an average year the thaw lands around mid April and the freeze near early December. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. That is the shape of the year on Southwell Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. Mapping shows a jetty some 50 yards off. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Rainbow Lake, 0.6 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Ask locally about Southwell Lake if anything is unclear.