Numerous boat launches are located around Muskegon Lake. For bait, tackle and fishing maps, contact Shoreline Service at (231) 759-7254.

Typical of most drowned river-mouth lakes, 2,571-acre White Lake is loaded with old pilings, slab wood, deadheads, weedlines and timber that make excellent crappie habitat. Try searching the flat off of Svennson Park that features rocks, wood and weeds, which attract spring crappies. Straight across the lake from between Maple Grove and Montague is an area riddled with pilings, stickups and piers that crappies thrive in. Small jigs, micro-crankbaits and minnows all have their day. Expect plenty of specks in the 10- to 12-inch range, and slabs up to 16 inches aren't unheard of.

There is a public access located on the west side of the upper lake near Montague and a city-owned ramp at Svennson Park on the east shore. For fishing information, contact Armstrong's Sporting Goods at (231) 894-6753.

PENTWATER LAKE
Pentwater Lake, at 436 acres, doesn't have an extensive amount of shallow water, so finding the prime locations for spring crappies is fairly easy.

One area that attracts schools of specks is off Long Bridge Road where the Pentwater River empties into the lake. Pilings and weeds there concentrate pre-spawn black crappies. A minnow fished under a bobber is the favored method. The area can be fairly easily fished from shore.

Other productive locations include Big Cove and Little Cove on the south and southwest sides of the lake, and in Snug Harbor Marina before the big boats are in. Use a trolling motor to position your boat, and flip small jigs near the docks. One overlooked spot is a little cove on the northeast side along U.S. Business 31.

Anglers can launch a boat at a city-owned ramp on the lake's northeast corner, at Snug Harbor and a launch two blocks off Sixth Street. For more information on bait shops and accommodations in the area, contact the Pentwater Area Chamber of Commerce at (231) 869-4353.

GUN LAKE
"Gun Lake in Barry County is probably one of the better crappie lakes in our district," claimed Southern Lake Michigan Management Unit fisheries biologist Kregg Smith. "It's probably not the best for numbers, but it has some good-sized crappies in it."

Smith said that one reason the crappies get to good proportions in Gun Lake is that the lake is a bass-dominated fishery, which keeps down the number of small crappies. Look at a map of this 2,680-acre lake and you'll understand why it's such a productive lake for a variety of game-fish species. A great place for spring crappies is off the boat launch near Murphy's Point in Yankee Springs State Park.

A dredged area off the fishing pier there typically draws hordes of specks to the shallows. The emerging weeds off the Marsh Road access on the southwest side are another good spring location. Around the edges of Yankee Springs, Orangeville and Murphy's islands and in Baird's Cove are good places to search for spawning papermouths. The crappies love minnows, but larva on ice-fishing teardrops can be good, too. Find the schools and you can expect to take a bucket full of 12-inch slabs.