Thornapple Lake

[shibes24]

I am looking to fish Thornapple Lake early this may. Have never been there. I have done all my musky fishing in Indiana. Does anyone have any suggestions as to where to fish the lake. I would love it if someone had a map they could email me or something. Also, I live near Niles, Michigan. Does anyone have any suggestions of other lakes to try in SW Michigan? Thanks

shibes24

bp_shibes@yahoo.com

[kid coulson]

shibes,
Pretty stained water usually.Try by the creek inlets,and the shallower bays,you will see them.(the bays that is).Thorn can be a tuff nut to crack,
and usually sees alot of pressure.Good Luck!!

[FredB]

Thornapple (and other muskie lakes) are noted and shown in SW Michigan Sportsman map book (available at
Ganders etc) and several good muskie spots are marked..but in general there is
a break w/weeds around most of the lake and those breaks will hold fish(big NP and musky)..
..fish will be up on shore (shallow) in spring..and then off to deeper water as water warms (per usual) . Weeds can get thick tho..and water conditions can change with weather (rain etc). DNR launch there is so-so but launch at county park is good..but usually goes in late(end of May)/and is out early

Check posting on web of DNR muskie plants in SW Michigan for other lakes in SW ..there are several within an hour or so of Niles .. Join MMA and you can get weekly, detailed info. on specific lakes via members forum.

[shibes24]

Does anyone have any lure or lure color choices to use at Thornapple. I hear it is usually quite a stained lake. Any suggestions for type of lures or colors. Thanks


shibes24

[Will Schultz]

Does anyone have any lure or lure color choices to use at Thornapple. I hear it is usually quite a stained lake. Any suggestions for type of lures or colors. Thanks

shibes24

Since you're familiar with Indiana water... The water color in Thornapple would be most similar to Big Barbee and/or Webster. Clear at certain times of year and stained and/or bloom at other times of the year.

It's your standard muskie lake, anything will/can work at anytime. What works for some doesn't work for others. Your best bet, as with any water, is to use lures that you can work corectly and effectively. This normally means those that you have confidence in. Lure color is the same, some will swear by gaudy/bright colors, others love natural colors but you might love prizm or holoform. Confidence is 90% of the game.

You'll find that people are less willing to give up specifics on some Michigan water, particularly if they don't know you. Why? Because some of these lakes can't support large numbers of fish compared to a lake like Webster. In Webster you're talking more than 5 adults per acre, in Thornapple the population is around .8 fish per acre. This means that any significant pressure on Thornapple can really hurt the fishery due to delayed mortality. The primary reason Thornapple has a 50" size limit is to keep the broodstock females in the lake.

[shibes24]

thanks for the info. I will try my usual muskie baits and see what happens. I can understand the unwillingness to share secrets and such for your favorite lakes. you don't need to worry about me adding lots of fishing pressure to Thornapple. I will probably only go there once this year. Also, I NEVER remove a muskie from any body of water for any reason. Thanks again, your information is greatly appreciated.

shibes24