The Bayou Fishing near Evart, Michigan

• Overview

  The Bayou is listed under Osceola County, Michigan. The surface lies 1,030 feet up. It covers about 13 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Supplies mean a trip to Evart, 2.4 miles off. For a city, Grand Rapids is 70 miles off. Not far off: Shores Pond sits 1.4 miles out, Lake Lure near enough 2.7 miles, Spring Lake sits 3 miles out, Decker Ponds near enough 3.4 miles and Myrtle Lake sits 3.4 miles out. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on The Bayou

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Open biodiversity records for Osceola County list bluegill, largemouth bass, pink salmon, northern pike and white sucker. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. The near bank of The Bayou is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 68°F in July and bottom out at 19°F in January. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough early April. Averages place the thaw at early April and the freeze at early December. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. At The Bayou the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. If the gate is shut, Shores Pond at 1.4 miles is the nearest alternative. What applies at The Bayou may have changed since it was mapped.