Townline Lake in Montcalm County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Within Montcalm County, Michigan, you have Townline Lake. The water sits 961 feet up. This is sizeable water at about 290 acres, and a boat opens up most of it. With 3.8 miles or so of shoreline, boat anglers cover ground the bank cannot. Few waters listed in Montcalm County are bigger. Lakeview is the closest town at 3.6 miles. For a city, Grand Rapids is 41 miles off. Two sets of local rules meet not far from this water.

• Where to Fish on Townline Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Survey and observation records for Montcalm County include bluegill, largemouth bass, white sucker, johnny darter and pink salmon. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. At Townline Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 69°F and January reads 20°F. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Once it clears, about early April, the fishing comes on quickly. Climate averages put the opening at about early April and the closing near mid December. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. The season on Townline Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Launching is possible: a slipway lies half a mile off. A camping area sits within half a mile of here. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Bass Lake, 0.9 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. None of that is settled for Townline Lake in what we hold.