Tubbs Lake in Mecosta County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Out in Mecosta County, Michigan, sits Tubbs Lake. The bank is 991 feet above sea level. Surface area runs to roughly 276 acres, so plan for one area rather than the whole. On our Mecosta County list it sits near the top for size. The nearest place of any size is Canadian Lakes, 11 miles away. For a city, Grand Rapids is 57 miles off. A county boundary sits nearby, which can matter for local access rules.

• Where to Fish on Tubbs Lake

  Our records hold no depth for this water. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Records held for Mecosta County cover bluegill, largemouth bass and rock bass. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. At Tubbs Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 19°F in January to roughly 69°F in July. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Break-up comes around early April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Ice usually gives way near early April, and forms again about mid December. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. At Tubbs Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. You can launch from a ramp around half a mile away. You can camp half a mile off, which suits an early start. There is a toilet block some half a mile out. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Mud Lake, 0.6 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. None of that is settled for Tubbs Lake in what we hold.