Fishing at Switzer Lake, Lake County, Michigan

• Overview

  Switzer Lake sits within Lake County in Michigan. Mixed forest runs right down to the water. Surface area runs to about 10 acres — small enough to read in one session. Some 4.4 miles away sits Baldwin, the nearest settlement. Then Reed City, 13 miles, and Big Rapids, 19 miles. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Switzer Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Records held for Lake County cover rainbow trout, brook trout, white sucker and bluegill. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Read Switzer Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 20°F to 68°F. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around early April. In an average year the thaw lands around early April and the freeze near mid December. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Expect Switzer Lake to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. There is a ramp at Switzer Lake Boat Launch, 110 yards out. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Should this one be busy, Spring Lake is 0.8 miles off. Nothing on Switzer Lake should be assumed from this page alone.