Fishing Lake Lavine

Lake Lavine offers one of southwest Michigan's best bluegill fisheries, with 97% of netted fish over 6 inches and growth rates above state average for adult fish. The key to this exceptional bluegill quality is a high density of sub-legal largemouth bass that prevent stunting by controlling juvenile bluegill numbers. Northern pike were illegally introduced recently and are thriving with rapid growth - 78% exceed the 24-inch minimum and the largest measured 39 inches. These pike primarily occupy the 51% of the lake deeper than 20 feet, where they benefit from the steep drop-offs beyond the wide shoals. The lake's thermal stratification creates a narrow 2-foot band in the metalimnion where rainbow trout can survive summer conditions, but northern pike predation has decimated the trout fishery that operated successfully since 1947. Substrate varies from organic along southern and western shores to sand and gravel patches on the western edge, providing diverse spawning habitat. The northwest wetland inlet and submerged vegetation at the south end serve as prime northern pike spawning areas. Summer water temperatures reach 76°F at the surface while the hypolimnion stays around 45°F, with dissolved oxygen remaining adequate only to about 15 feet. Recent herbicide treatments targeting Eurasian watermilfoil and starry stonewort may have contributed to trout mortality, particularly copper-based compounds applied in 2012. Yellow perch and black crappie remain present but in low numbers, with both showing good size structure when caught. The lake's 71-foot maximum depth and mesotrophic status support this diverse warmwater community, but the future depends on whether pike control efforts can restore the trout fishery or if management shifts to embrace the new pike population.