Fishing Von Syckle Lake in Barry County, Michigan

• Overview

  Out in Barry County, Michigan, sits Von Syckle Lake. Land around it is pine and birch. It covers about 12 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. The nearest place of any size is Level Park-Oak Park, 7 miles away. After that come Springfield at 9.4 miles and South Gull Lake at 9.8 miles. A county line runs close by, so local bylaws can differ within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Von Syckle Lake

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Reported across Barry County: bluegill, largemouth bass and yellow perch. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. At Von Syckle Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 22°F to 71°F. The year splits cleanly: hard water, then open water. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around late March. Climate figures give an open season running late March to mid December. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. The season on Von Syckle Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Culver Lake sits 0.3 miles off and takes the overflow. Treat Von Syckle Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.