Fishing at Sullivan Lake, Washtenaw County, Michigan

• Overview

  You will find Sullivan Lake in Washtenaw County, Michigan. Everything around it is mixed forest. Small at around 21 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. The nearest town is Chelsea, 5.8 miles away. Further out sit Pinckney (6.8 miles) and Stockbridge (7.3 miles). More in the same country: Eagle Lake about 0.5 miles, South Lake 0.6 miles, Sullivan Lakes about 0.9 miles, Joslin Lake 1.6 miles and Wild Goose Lake about 1.6 miles. The county edge is within a short distance of the bank.

• Where to Fish on Sullivan Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Open biodiversity records for Washtenaw County list bluegill, largemouth bass and rock bass. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Anyone new to Sullivan Lake should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 22°F and July at about 71°F, the water has a wide range to work through. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around late March. Open water usually runs from late March until about mid December. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. Sullivan Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. There is a launch about half a mile from the bank. There is somewhere to leave the car, half a mile off. Mapping shows a jetty some half a mile off. 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. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. The nearest alternative is Eagle Lake, 0.5 miles out. None of that is settled for Sullivan Lake in what we hold.