As a child growing up in Lansing, one of my favorite memories was walking to the old fishing hole to catch whatever happened to be biting.

The gravel pit wasn’t the most productive spot and had suffered years of neglect, but it was a great place for a city kid to dip a worm or two. It didn’t take long to graduate to area ponds and lakes to try my hand at bass fishing and I’ve been chasing them ever since.

That old fishing hole and I have both come a long way since those days. The pit is now the crown jewel of Hawk Island Park off Cavanaugh Road and is quite a little bass fishery in its own right.

Michigan has more excellent bass waters than most of us will ever know, not only offering up good numbers of bass but an occasional trophy-class fish as well.

Here’s a look at some lakes that anglers should check out in 2008.

LAKE ANN
“Lake Ann is one of the better largemouth lakes in my area and can produce some quality-sized bass,” fisheries biologist Todd Kalish said. “The best spots on Lake Ann for nice bass include the sunken island in the northern part of the lake and the northwest and southern bays.” Bass typically begin spawning when water temperatures reach 60 to 65 degrees. After the spawn is over, largemouths slowly return to deeper water where they spend the summer. Weather conditions dictate how far along the bass will be in their springtime ritual and tell bass anglers where to concentrate their efforts.

Spawners frequent the shallow waters in the backside areas of the bays. By the season opener, most spawning is over and the post-spawn bass put on the feedbag.

Bass that are staging on their way out of the bays into deeper water can be found at 10 to 15 feet. Crankbaits and spinnerbaits are good options to tag one of these hungry lunkers.

Lake Ann covers 527 acres. A ramp is located off Reynolds Road on the west side of the lake.

For more information, contact the Central Lake Michigan Management Unit at (231) 922-5280.

SIX-MILE LAKE
Early summer can mean good bassing on Six-Mile, according to Kalish. The bass are in the northern bay and numerous little bays on the western shoreline where the water is warming and spawning activities have peaked. Small Rapalas and soft-plastic baits should provide a few hookups this time of the year.

The 407-acre lake also offers some good smallmouth fishing, but the fish are spread out and difficult to find. Try tube jigs and small in-line spinners along the shoreline or at the river inlet.

Long and narrow is the best way to describe Six-Mile and its sister lakes that make up the Chain O’ Lakes situated near Ellsworth in Antrim and Charlevoix counties. In a nutshell, Benway, Hanley, Ellsworth, Wilson, St. Clair and Six-Mile lakes cover about 900 acres of water combined.

The average depth is about 15 feet with a seemingly endless shoreline running north and south.

Boaters can access the lake from the Echo Township ramp on the south end or the ramp near Miles Road on the eastern side.

Contact the Central Lake Michigan Management Unit at (231) 922-5280 for more information.