Fishing at Waddell Pond, Crawford County, Michigan

• Overview

  Out in Crawford County, Michigan, sits Waddell Pond. It sits at 1,220 feet above sea level. Surface area runs to about 2 acres — small enough to read in one session. Our Crawford County list holds plenty of bigger water. Nearest place of any size is Mancelona, 7.3 miles away. The nearest city of size is Grand Rapids, 135 miles away. A county boundary sits nearby, which can matter for local access rules.

• Where to Fish on Waddell Pond

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Across Crawford County, recorded fish include white sucker, rock bass, yellow perch and largemouth bass. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. The near bank of Waddell Pond is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 67°F; the cold one sits at 17°F. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. Count the season from break-up, usually mid April. The lid tends to go about mid April and return around early December. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. Waddell Pond runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. Boats go in at Starvation Lake Boat Launch, roughly half a mile from the water. A platform or pier sits within half a mile. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. For a change of water, MacNeil Pond is 0.2 miles distant. What applies at Waddell Pond may have changed since it was mapped.