Fishing at Thread Lake, Genesee County, Michigan

• Overview

  Thread Lake is a Genesee County water, Michigan side. Beyond the shoreline you have pine and birch. It runs to roughly 90 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Shoreline comes to about 3.1 miles, small enough to learn in a day. You are 1.4 miles from Flint. After that come Burton at 2.6 miles and Grand Blanc at 5.3 miles. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Thread Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Survey and observation records for Genesee County include bluegill, largemouth bass, pink salmon, black crappie and common carp. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. The shape of Thread Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July near 71°F and January near 22°F on the long-run figures. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from late March. Climate averages put the opening at about late March and the closing near mid December. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. The season on Thread Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Parking is close: a car park sits half a mile from the bank. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Kearsley Reservoir sits 4.3 miles off and takes the overflow. The position on Thread Lake is worth confirming on the day.