Fishing Palmer Lake

Palmer Lake offers exceptional bluegill fishing with catch rates higher than nearly all lakes in Michigan's Status and Trends Program - trap net catches averaged 552 fish per net night. Bluegills show average growth (+0.3 index) with 79% reaching legal size, though high fishing pressure creates an 87% annual mortality rate. The size structure rates satisfactory to good depending on sampling method. Largemouth bass are abundant with catch rates near the top of Michigan's range at 4.3 fish per minute electrofishing, but growth is below average (-1.2 index) typical for southwest Michigan lakes. Only 13% of bass reach the 14-inch legal size. The lake supports strong populations of redear sunfish and pumpkinseeds with impressive size structures - over 90% reach legal size and both species show above-average growth (+1.2 and +1.1 indices respectively). Channel catfish from the 1992 stocking show excellent growth and all captured fish were 19-28 inches, though numbers are low. Northern pike are scarce with catch rates well below state average. The 448-acre lake is eutrophic with persistent algal blooms since 2002 reducing water clarity to 4 feet. Gizzard shad, likely introduced accidentally, may contribute to poor water quality by reducing zooplankton that normally control algae. The lake bottom is primarily organic substrate near the channel and sand/marl elsewhere, with 63% less than 10 feet deep. Predators compose only 19% of fish biomass, below the 20-50% range typical of balanced fisheries, explaining the abundant but slow-growing panfish populations.