LAKE BELLAIRE
Lake Bellaire covers 1,775 acres southwest of the town of Bellaire in Antrim County.

Smallmouth bass can be huge in this two-species bass lake. Tuning in the sonar is a good idea to help eliminate nonproductive smallmouth water. You may not get many strikes, but when one hits, chances are it will be a good one.

Check hard-bottom areas along points and dropoffs with deep-diving crankbaits and jigs for post-spawn smallmouth bass.

Kalish recommends targeting Bellaire’s largemouth bass in the late spring and early summer in the northern bay and the Intermediate River inlet. These areas offer habitat to the liking of the bucketmouths and tend to concentrate them into pockets of the lake. They’re also found in the submerged vegetation that borders the shoreline after summer arrives.

Access to the east side of the lake is off M-88 and Fisherman’s Paradise Road and Steiner Road on the west side.

The Central Lake Michigan Management Unit at (231) 922-5280 will provide more information.

KENT LAKE
“Kent Lake has good spring bass fishing for both largemouths and smallmouths,” fisheries biologist Jim Francis said.

“We did an early spring survey in 2006 on Kent Lake and found a lot of big largemouths. The smallmouths didn’t show up in the survey because we were on the lake so early, but the smallmouth bass are just as impressive as the largemouths on this lake.” Francis noted the largemouths averaged more than 15 inches, but numerous 19-inch fish were found and one topped 20. A whopping 73 percent of these bass were legal-sized and fish up to 3 pounds are common for both species.

Kent Lake receives heavy fishing pressure because of its close proximity to the urban Detroit area. Add the fact that these lunkers have seen about everything that can be thrown at them and Kent Lake can be a challenge. The best-bet spots in the spring are in the backs of the bays.

Several handicapped-accessible fishing piers are available. Boats can launch for a fee and there’s a 10-mph speed limit on the water.

The 1,000-acre lake is located in Oakland and Livingston counties.

To reach Kent Lake, exit Interstate 96 at Kensington Road and go south. Continue through the Grand River Avenue intersection and turn left into the park. Stop at the tollgate to purchase a park pass.

For more information, you may contact the park at (800) 477-3178 or call the Lake Erie Management Unit at (734) 953-0241.

DEVIL’S LAKE
Another of Francis’ top bass choices is 1,330-acre Devil’s Lake in Lenawee County.

“Lenawee is a decent fishery and does hold some bigger bass,” Francis said.

A fisheries survey a few years ago showed that nearly half of the largemouths sampled were legal-sized and several were in the 16- to 17-inch range. Smallmouths ran a bit behind with slightly more than a third being legal, but a few were found in the 20- to 21-inch range.

Devil’s Lake is well known for lunker northern pike and often overlooked for bass. Any largemouth big enough to no longer look like lunch to a hungry pike is well worth the time and effort needed to catch it.

If the fish are done spawning, they’ll scatter out into the main lake along the weed lines on the dropoffs in the northern part of the lake or into the weedbeds in about 6 to 10 feet of water in the southern half of the lake.