For information on cottages, bait shops and campgrounds in the area, contact the Coldwater-Branch County Chamber of Commerce at (517) 278-5985 or online at Branch-County.com

RANDALL LAKE
Branch County's 513-acre Randall Lake is actually three lakes in one. Commonly referred to as Randall Lake, it is actually made up of Cemetery, North and Randall lakes, but it is impossible to tell where one lake ends and another begins. Bass know no boundaries, and inhabit all of them. You won't find many lunker largemouths in Randall, but you will find plenty of bass.

You won't have to go far to find good bassin' on Randall Lake. A series of humps right out from the boat ramp is a good location for largemouths. Try topwater baits here early and late in the day. Heavy weeds, humps and a prominent breakline in the northeast corner of Randall Lake make this a can't-miss spot for bucketmouths. Spinnerbaits are a good bet when the bass are active. Slow down and crawl a jig or Texas-rigged worm if the bass are more finicky. Zara Spooks and Pop-Rs produce exciting topwater action when the lake is calm.

A horseshoe-shaped bar on the west shore of North Lake concentrates summer bass. Weeds are the key, but any wood you can find in the water is worth checking out.

The defined weedlines along the south shore of Cemetery Lake is a perfect spot to chuck a spinnerbait and cover water.

For more information, contact the Coldwater-Branch County Chamber of Commerce at (517) 278-5985 or online at Branch-County

LAKE ORION
Oakland County's Lake Orion is located in the middle of suburbia, but it's still a topnotch bass lake. In fact, it is one of the better lakes in southeast Michigan.

"White is always a good color on Lake Orion," claimed Kelly Bridgewater of KD Outdoors in Waterford.

Bridgewater justified her claim on the fact that Lake Orion has a land-locked population of alewives that the bass key on. Lures with white on them seem to match the alewives. Find the baitfish, and you'll find bass. This forage allows largemouths in Lake Orion to grow to chunky proportions. Three- to 4-pound bucketmouths are common on Lake Orion, and 7-pounders aren't unheard of.