Who would have ever thought that Motown would be have so many great bass fishing lakes. Many fisherman never think to plan a fishing trip to the state of Michigan. Most have never heard of Lake St. Clair, Lake Erie, Saginaw Bay, and several inland lakes that offer some of the best small mouth bass fishing that you have ever seen. If you are inspired by this article and are considering planning a fishing trip to Michigan, you should know that the time to go is from April through December and the seasons provide a wide array of fishing opportunities for every type of angler. 

You will probably receive the best results if you plan your trip in the early spring through the spawn. This has proven to be the most exciting time of year in my personal opinion. Many fish are visible, and they just love baits like the super flukes and spinner baits. Those lures are almost hypnotic to them for some reason… Only if the fish could talk. 

In Michigan’s lakes the fish are normally found in the deeper waters as they settle into their summer routines. By the time mid summer hits they are schooled and feeding like crazy. From my personal experience the bass fishing at this time of year will yield you anywhere from twenty five to forty fish per day. The average fish weighs almost seven pounds. 

During the fall of the year the small mouth bass start feeding aggressively. You are guaranteed to find the bass in the shallow parts. Some of the largest fish ever caught in Michigan lakes have been caught as the ice over approaches. This is when the bass are looking to feed. There is a benefit to scheduling bass fishing trips at this time of the year, because there is little boat traffic. You are pretty much guaranteed to have most of the hot spots to yourself. I must warn you that you need to have your cold weather gear. If you are a fisherman that are not use to this type of weather conditions you may want to reconsider. Michigan during the cold weather season isn’t for everyone although the reward is well worth it. 

You have a wide variety of fishing options available to you throughout Michigan, particularly for small mouth bass fishing. For example The Grand Traverse Bay, Thunder Bay, Bay De Noc just to name a few. Those lakes offer untouched fishing opportunities for the real fisherman. You will be able to return with stories of “I caught one this big”. You may want to consider the inland lakes for Michigan’s small mouth bass. 

While your there you may want to consider catching a few walleye fish. The Detroit River in the spring is where they all migrate from Lake Erie. 

If you are interested in doing some white bass fishing I recommend to go around May through mid June and hit Lakes Erie and St. Clair. This is also a great time for top water bass fishing opportunities. At this time is where spawning white bass are making their way up the river. These fish are eager to bite at anything resembling a minnow so this makes fishing simple and easy during this time.

View some of our other great article about bass fishing lakes and bass fishing