Our next installment of the Michigan Sanctuary series features a place that I have spent many hours visiting over the years. That place is Duck Lake in Calhoun County.

My parents actually live on this lake, and have lake access, so I have been fortunate enough in the last couple of years to be able to log many hours on the lake. We have also fished this lake since I was small and I caught my first ever bass on the lake as well.

I think that Duck Lake is probably the best fishery in the southern part of the state. Not only do you have a wide variety of fish available to catch, but there are also plentiful numbers of fish and the action is awesome. Duck lake features perch, bluegill, pike, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, and walleye. Not only does it feature these particular fish but they have a tendency, because of the size of the lake, to be huge! We have caught plenty of 3lb and up largemouth and smallmouth, and we have also been fortunate enough to land pike over 30 inches long. I have also landed, by pure accident, a walleye that was 7lbs and 28 inches long. There are blue gills in the lake well over 10 inches too. Plenty of large fish to be had for the patient angler.

The lake features ample room for fishing and water related activities such as tubing and skiing. There isn’t a summer day that goes by that you don’t hear a jet-ski or waverunner whizzing past as you fish. Pretty often you will even have the chance of witnessing a float plane land and/or take-off on the water. The lake provides many a sight-seeing opportunity.

My favorite part of fishing the lake is in the summer when the bass are hitting top water lures. The sister’s boyfriend, Corrin, and I sat out one night and just absolutely slaughtered the bass on the trusty top water Jitterbug. There is just nothing like fishing when it is pitch black out, listening to the Jitterbug work its way across the water, and getting to hear that sound muffled by a hungry bass hitting the lure. I am not sure there is any more exciting type of fishing out there.

I have to be honest and tell you that I almost didn’t do this post, because Duck Lake is such an excellent fishery that I didn’t want to draw even more people to it. I figure though, with it’s sure size, that keeping it a secret would be a hard task and plus being able to share its true excitement is a great thing to do.

So check out Duck Lake down in Calhoun County the next time you get a chance. I highly recommend it. Oh, and do me a favor, only fish it and leave your waverunner at home:)

Popularity: 38% [?]