Waco Lake, Michigan: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  The Delta County end of Michigan holds Waco Lake. The country round it is rolling bush from end to end. At 21 acres it is the sort of place you fish for an evening rather than a day. The closest town, Gladstone, is 19 miles distant. Green Bay sits 122 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Waco Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Open biodiversity records for Delta County list white sucker, alewife, rock bass, yellow perch and northern pike. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Waco Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 65°F for July and 16°F for January. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Look for the thaw near mid April; the fishing lifts straight after. From about mid April to around early December, expect open water on the long-run figures. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Waco Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. For a change of water, Narbon Lake is 0.6 miles distant. Confirm access to Waco Lake locally before you travel.