Trout Lake Boat Launch

Lower Trout Lake has gotten badly overgrown with weeds in recent years. What used to be a solid bass fishery is now tough to fish — you'll spend more time clearing your line than getting bait to fish. They've talked about chemical treatments, but so far the weeds haven't noticeably thinned out.

This is a shallow lake overall, which is part of why the weed problem is so bad. Keep that in mind if you're running anything with a deeper draft. A small jon boat or kayak is really the move here.

With only 16 trailer spots and one lane, you'd think weekends could get tight — but honestly, this place almost never fills up. It flies under the radar even for Oakland County. You can roll in mid-morning on a Saturday in July and still have your pick of spots.

Even if the fishing has slipped, the setting is hard to beat. It's tucked back in Bald Mountain SRA and feels way more remote than it actually is. There's a fishing pier off to the west side if you'd rather stay on shore, plus a nice sand beach area with picnic tables and grills.