Sugarloaf Lake Fishing in Jackson County, Michigan

• Overview

  You will find Sugarloaf Lake in Jackson County, Michigan. It lies 938 feet above sea level. It measures about 177 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. The full circuit measures close to 2.2 miles on foot. It ranks high for size among our Jackson County listings. You are 5 miles from Chelsea. For a city, Ann Arbor is 20 miles off. The county edge is within a short distance of the bank.

• Where to Fish on Sugarloaf Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Records held for Jackson County cover bluegill, largemouth bass and yellow perch. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. Fish Sugarloaf Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 71°F at the top of summer and 22°F at the bottom of winter. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. After late March the shallows warm and the fish move up. On the long-run averages the water opens up around late March and starts locking again about mid December. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Sugarloaf Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. There is a launch about half a mile from the bank. There is a car park half a mile from the bank. There is a mapped landing stage half a mile away. There is a toilet block some half a mile out. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Mud Lake, 0.7 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Treat access at Sugarloaf Lake as something to verify.