Fishing Tiff Lake in Osceola County, Michigan

• Overview

  Tiff Lake is listed under Osceola County, Michigan. Height above sea level is 1,040 feet. It runs to roughly 73 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Shoreline comes to about 1.5 miles, small enough to learn in a day. Size puts it in the front rank of our Osceola County list. Evart lies 2.9 miles from the water. The big place round here is Grand Rapids, 65 miles distant. The boundary is close enough to be worth checking before you fish.

• Where to Fish on Tiff Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Survey and observation records for Osceola County include bluegill, largemouth bass and pink salmon. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. Work Tiff Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 68°F; by January the average is down near 19°F. Winter puts a hard lid on this one. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near early April. On the long-run averages the water opens up around early April and starts locking again about mid December. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. It holds true on Tiff Lake more years than not.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Should this one be busy, Pitcher Lake is 1.4 miles off. Treat Tiff Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.