Fishing Au Sable Lake

Au Sable Lake offers a classic northern Michigan warm-water fishery dominated by Largemouth Bass and abundant but small panfish. The 271-acre lake stratifies thermally in summer with good dissolved oxygen only in the top 15-20 feet, limiting deep-water fishing opportunities. Largemouth Bass show above-average growth (+1.4 inches) and most fish run 10-14 inches, with some reaching 19 inches. The bass population spans eight age-classes indicating consistent natural reproduction. Northern Pike are common but most are sub-legal (under 24 inches) due to the lack of cool, oxygenated deep water they need for summer survival - they simply don't live long enough to reach trophy sizes. Black Crappie have emerged as the lake's best panfish opportunity, showing excellent growth rates (+1.8 inches above state average) with fish reaching 14 inches and four year-classes present. The traditional panfish - Bluegill, Yellow Perch, and Pumpkinseed - suffer from the classic stunting problem, with prolific Bluegill populations dominated by fish under 8 inches despite some living to age-9. The lake's extensive aquatic vegetation provides excellent cover but also contributes to the stunting by reducing predation efficiency. Bottom composition is primarily marl, sand, and detritus with steep drop-offs adjacent to the littoral zone. The lake has two basins separated by a shallow marl shoal, with the east basin reaching 52 feet and the west basin 40 feet deep. Thirty years of Walleye stocking produced minimal results - the few that survive grow well (some to 26 inches) but numbers remain too low to support consistent angling or impact the panfish population. Chemical vegetation treatments have occurred 17 times over 25 years, typically covering 2-3 acres per permit. The small DNR boat launch on the southeast shore provides the only public access with parking for about six trailers.