Sutton Lake in Washtenaw County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Michigan holds Sutton Lake, in Washtenaw County. Height above sea level is 892 feet. At about 69 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. The edge runs 1.7 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Chelsea lies 6 miles from the water. The big place round here is Ann Arbor, 11 miles distant. No county line comes close, which keeps the paperwork simple.

• Where to Fish on Sutton Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Open biodiversity records for Washtenaw County list bluegill, largemouth bass, rock bass and black crappie. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Fish Sutton Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 71°F on average, January about 22°F. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. After late March the shallows warm and the fish move up. The water is typically free of ice between late March and mid December. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. Expect Sutton Lake to follow that timing.

• 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 no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. The nearest alternative is Pleasant Lake, 3.7 miles out. Treat Sutton Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.