Stearns Lake Fishing in Livingston County, Michigan

• Overview

  Stearns Lake stands in Livingston County, Michigan. Elevation runs to 843 feet. It runs to roughly 37 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Around 1.5 miles of margin, front to back. Linden sits 3.2 miles from here and is the nearest stop. Ann Arbor is the closest city, 34 miles away. Rules can differ a short way off, since the county line is near.

• Where to Fish on Stearns Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Survey and observation records for Livingston County include bluegill, largemouth bass and black crappie. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Fish Stearns Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 70°F and January near 22°F. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. Look for the thaw near early April; the fishing lifts straight after. The open-water window runs from around early April to about mid December in an average year. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. Stearns Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Expect a half a mile walk in from where the car goes. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Hoisington Lake, 1.1 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. None of that is settled for Stearns Lake in what we hold.