Valley Lake Fishing near Sand Lake, Michigan

• Overview

  In Michigan, Valley Lake falls inside Ogemaw County. Elevation runs to 922 feet. Small at around 13 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. The nearest place of any size is Sand Lake, 14 miles away. For a city, Lansing is 121 miles off. Neighbouring water: Au Sable Creek 0.7 miles away, Mud Lake lies 0.8 miles on, No Mans Lake 1 mile away, Lake Augustina lies 1.5 miles on and Little Au Sable Lake 1.5 miles away. A border sits close enough to be relevant to the paperwork.

• Where to Fish on Valley Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Species logged across Ogemaw County include bluegill, rock bass, pink salmon, largemouth bass and yellow perch. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. The near bank of Valley Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 67°F on average, January about 17°F. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Winter fishing happens on the ice here, with open water back around mid April. The lid tends to go about mid April and return around early December. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. On Valley Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. Mapping is blank for access, so scout the approach before committing the car. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Au Sable Creek, 0.7 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. None of that is settled for Valley Lake in what we hold.