Stison Lake, Michigan: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  In Michigan, Stison Lake belongs to Oakland County. Everything around it is mixed forest. It covers about 15 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. For supplies, Milford is 5 miles out. Sterling Heights sits 27 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. A county line runs close by, so local bylaws can differ within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Stison Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Open biodiversity records for Oakland County list bluegill, black crappie, largemouth bass and yellow perch. The county list is broader than any single water. The shape of Stison Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 22°F in January up to 71°F in July. Hard water is a season in its own right here. After early April the shallows warm and the fish move up. Break-up near early April, freeze-up near mid December: that is the shape of an average year. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. The season on Stison Lake follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Recorded parking is half a mile off, far enough to travel light. There are toilets mapped about 0.9 miles away. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. For a change of water, White Lake is 0.9 miles distant. Confirm before you fish Stison Lake.