Toad Lake in Antrim County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Michigan holds Toad Lake, in Antrim County. The water sits 676 feet up. It measures about 43 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. Roughly 1.1 miles of bank means you can walk to a fresh area when one goes quiet. By elevation it sits in the lower part of our Michigan listings. Some 8.4 miles away sits East Jordan, the nearest settlement. Beyond it, Bellaire at 11 miles and Charlevoix at 13 miles. Two sets of local rules meet not far from this water.

• Where to Fish on Toad Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Records held for Antrim County cover brook trout, yellow perch, smallmouth bass, rock bass and white sucker. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Treat Toad Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 67°F and January near 20°F. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Ice is part of the season here, ending near mid April. In an average year the thaw lands around mid April and the freeze near mid December. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Toad Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Failing this one, try Wilson Lake, 2.1 miles away. Signs at Toad Lake carry more weight than any list.