Great Bear Lake - Van Buren Co

When it comes to fishing for pan fish, a Van Buren County lake features many great locations.

Great Bear Lake, located off of 15th Avenue just east of 45th Street, provides anglers with an opportunity to catch some nice crappie and bluegill.

"Crappie are a consistent bite during the winter on Great Bear Lake," said John Webber, owner of Webber and Sons in Allegan. "Crappies and bluegills are the primary targets with more anglers getting onto the crappie bandwagon.

Crappie from this lake average 9 inches with a few hitting the magical 14-inch mark. That's proof that what this lake lakes in overall size is more than made up with its quality fish.

This lake is deep and limited in the shallow water areas. A few areas stand out from the rest during the winter.

One of the prime locations is near the public launch at 15th Avenue. This area is bordered by a marsh on the west side.

The narrows area, which is obvious to the eye, is a prime location during the winter. Fish move from one deep basin to the other and pass through the narrows.

A large shallow flat, a large area of shallow water with a flat bottom, is located in the narrows and southeast of the narrows. This flat runs up to the inlet coming from Haven and Max lakes.

On the west side of the lake where the Great Bear Lake drain outlet is located, anglers can find fish at last ice. This is another nice flat bordered by deep water.

The last location is on the northeast end of the lake. The deepest water in the lake borders this area. When the oxygen gets depleted in the shallows, this deep hole often holds schools of suspended crappie.

"Crappie hit minnows suspended under a bobber the best," Webber said.

Most anglers use a small slip bobber, a sponge bobber or, if the depth is not to deep, a fixed 1.5-inch Thill-pegged bobber. Weight your bobber so that most of the bobber is under water. The bobber becomes much more sensitive when used in this manner. At times you will see your bobber rise up and rest on its side, don't hesitate, set the hook quickly.

An angler really needs at least two rods. Rig each rod slightly different. This is much nicer than changing lures with your bare hands. One rod should be set with the minnow and bobber set-up and the other with a small teardrop tipped with either a minnow or a few spikes.

Jig this set-up real slowly, moving only a few inches at a time. Crappie will feed up much faster than going down for a meal. The primary action is a slow lift and then hold steady. Keep a close eye on the other rod with the bobber.

Micro jigs or ultra-light jigs are the rage with serious anglers. Most of these jigs weigh1Ú32 ounce or less. Some are closer to the1Ú100 of an ounce.

Some of the better selections include the 2-Spot, Demon Glows and Rocker Jigs from Custom Jigs N Spins. Anglers attempting to match the Daphnia plankton should use the Moon Glow and the Moon Glitter from K & E Stopper Lures. Two excellent horizontal style jigs would be the Rat Finkee and the HT Marmooska Jigs.

Crappie anglers do well under low-light conditions. Morning anglers do well starting one hour before daylight and lasting two hours after light. Evening anglers start two hours before dark and stay out two hours after.

Crappies suspend anywhere in the water column and anglers should start near the surface and work down if they don't have a graph.

Glow baits make a great addition when fishing at night. Crappie and darkness go hand in hand and a Coleman lantern hissing at night often brings a pail of fish on Great Bear Lake.

Published in the Michigan Sportsman 1/16/2005.