“There are high densities of largemouth bass, but they tend to grow slower than in Fletchers. The habitat is good with a lot of flooded timber and vegetation and it’s a serene setting that anglers enjoy.”

How this lake has gotten away without being noticed is a mystery. Bucketmouths as long as 21 inches showed up in the last fisheries survey along with many smaller fish ranging from 10 to 14 inches.

The lake is a flooding that backs up fertile, shallow water with great largemouth bass producing potential. Typical largemouth baits work well, especially plastic worms and soft-plastic minnow-imitating baits that are fished in the weedbeds and outside spawning areas along the shoreline.

Two boat ramps serve the lake and two campgrounds provide a great place for a fishing vacation.

Tomahawk Flooding lies on the border of Presque Isle and Montmorency counties.

For more information, contact the Northern Lake Huron Management Unit at (989) 732-3541 or the Whitmire Trading Post near Atlanta at (989) 785-3531.

SPRING LAKE
“The best bass waters in my area tend to be the larger rivers and lakes,” fisheries biologist Amy Harrington said. “Although most inland lakes can provide a decent bass fishery and an occasional large bass, the bigger lakes are the ones that usually have higher populations of big bass. This would be in part due to the fact that there’s more room and abundant forage. Where there’s lots of food available, fish will grow into bigger fish. This is particularly true of the lakes that have a connection with Lake Michigan.”

Spring Lake, a bayou of the Grand River near its confluence with Lake Michigan, looks more like a lake than a river. Only a lazy current can be found at the inlet near the main branch of the river. What does move, however, are the bass, some which top 5 pounds, although most are in the 2- to 3-pound range.

A Rapala floating minnow or Mepps in-line spinner accounted for about 10 largemouths caught during a day I spent on the lake.

Adventurous anglers can move out of Spring Lake and move up- or downstream to try other backwater bayous. Largemouths abound in this section of the river.

A ramp is located on Lloyd’s Bayou on Spring Lake.

Contact the DNR at (616) 784-1808 for additional information.

HAWK ISLAND LAKE
Hawk Island Lake in Lansing is heavily stocked with largemouths. In the spring, look for them around points, dropoff areas and submerged vegetation. Perch and bluegills are also stocked providing all the forage a self-respecting bass will ever need.

The lake is shallow as far as old gravel pits go with an average depth of only 10 feet. Deeper water is found on the northeast side between the island and the boardwalk. Dropoffs of 15 to 18 feet are found just off the fishing docks located on the west side, with the deepest spot being 28 feet.

All state DNR regulations apply, and a catch-and-release restriction is in place for largemouths.

The county park, located on Cavanaugh Road between Pennsylvania and Aurelius avenues, is great for a family fishing outing. It’s beautifully landscaped, has picnic and restroom facilities and covers more than 100 acres.

A small entrance fee is charged for admission and rowboats and paddleboats may be rented at the park. For more information, contact the Ingham County Parks Dept. at (517) 676-2233.

To find downloadable maps of many Michigan lakes, visit the MDNR’s Web site at www.michigan.gov/dnr .

For trip-planning assistance, contact Michigan’s Economic and Travel site at www.travel.michigan.org .