Allegan Dam East Boat Launch

There's old lumber — possibly from a collapsed dock — sitting in the water right at the ramp. Some of it may have nails. If you can't muscle your trailer past it on the main lane, you're out of luck since there's only one lane. Walk down and eyeball it before you back in.

Water depth at the ramp fluctuates a lot with dam releases and seasonal conditions. It can get surprisingly shallow, especially late summer. A 12-foot Jon boat loads fine, and I've seen pontoons squeeze in, but anything with a deeper draft could scrape bottom on a low day.

This spot has a persistent trash issue — bait containers, tangled line, food wrappers piling up along the bank and near the ramp. The Allegan Field Office doesn't seem to hit it with regular cleanups. Bring a bag if you want a clean spot to set up.

The 36 trailer spots rarely fill because this launch flies under the radar compared to the west side access. Weekday mornings you might be the only one here. Weekends pick up a little with kayakers and bank anglers, but it's never a circus. Great if you want to avoid the crowd and just get on the Kalamazoo quickly.

The tailwater below Allegan Dam is legit smallmouth water. Fish stack up in the current breaks downstream of the launch, and you can hook into them within minutes. Bluegill run big here too. Just know there are fish consumption advisories on this stretch of the Kalamazoo — look those up before you keep anything.