Townline Lake Fishing near West Branch, Michigan

• Overview

  Look for Townline Lake in the Ogemaw County part of Michigan. It lies 1,270 feet above sea level. The water measures roughly 11 acres, so nothing here is far from anything else. Nearest place of any size is West Branch, 7.7 miles away. Saint Helen is 8.1 miles and Skidway Lake 18 miles. Nearby, in order: Wallin Lake within 0.7 miles, Piper Lake about 0.9 miles, Elni Lake within 1.5 miles, Ambrose Lake about 1.5 miles and Clear Lake within 2.1 miles. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Townline Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Records held for Ogemaw County cover bluegill, rock bass, pink salmon, largemouth bass and yellow perch. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. The shape of Townline Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 67°F at the top of summer and 17°F at the bottom of winter. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Ice-out usually falls in mid April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. The season between ice runs from about mid April to early December. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. Anyone fishing Townline Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. For a change of water, Wallin Lake is 0.7 miles distant. For Townline Lake in particular, ask before you travel.