Coldwater Michigan Area

[6 lb Smallmouth]

Thinking about renting a place for the family vacation on Lake of the Woods outside of Coldwater Michigan.  Anybody know anything about that lake?  I can't find much on the internet.  I read in a different thread here that the Randall Chain was highly recommended.  Any info would be appreciated.  Thanks.  Paul

[djkimmel]

Randall Chain can be tough but there are some good fish there. Been many, many years but I've had some real good days there and a few not so good. You can catch them real shallow and fairly deep. I like that there are all the different types and sizes of lakes. Same with Coldwater Chain. Mostly largemouth but some smallies too. I don't know about the Lake of the Woods. I do recall some past discussion but nothing in detail. At least you'll be around a bunch of lakes if you have a boat on a trailer.

[LGMOUTH]

I dont know anything about lake of the woods but I do know alot about Coldwater and Randall. They both are awesome jerkbait lakes in the spring and awesome crankbait lakes later in the summer. They both can be extremely tough mid summer. They are both difficult to figure out but when you do they can be very fun lakes. They both are very pressured through out the summer so maybe Lake of the Woods would be better in the summer due to the lack of pressure. Good luck

[6 lb Smallmouth]

Thanks for the info guys.

[mchesney]

I've fished it a few times. It can be tough but there's some decent fishing there. I've had the best luck in Bingham lake. There's a channel at the south end that will get you there...shallow and narrow but I got my 21ft stratos back there with the trolling motor. I've had the best luck on the North/NE shoreline but it's all pretty good fishing.

[Mojo]

Have a friend whose mom n dad live on a lake in cold water. He banged on 8-10 in sunnyies last week,  lemming check with him and see what he knows.

[Mojo]

Talked with my buddy, here is the DL:

Its a 2 - 3 hr putt putt, through the chain of lakes. You'll never fish the same waters twice for an entire week. Has undeveloped shoreline with fallen trees over on Long Lake. betcha those new gliding or Freak Kustom Kicker Jigs would dive and glide in there well.

Lake of the Woods and Archer Lake have a good large mouth population, and there are hot - hot spots throughout the chain for large and small mouth, but you gotta know where they are (He didnt). Sand bars in some spots - holds smallies on the edges and canadian mist / slither colored tubes will work great (Check Xtrem Bass Tackle from this website). So dont run the lake until you studied maps or took a day trip (Which doesnt sound too bad).

Walleye stockings occurred in the 90s so theres plenty of bait fish to support bass. Grab a spinner bait and let us know what you find ..... and report back often !!

[MF2Team]

As many others have already stated, the Randall and Coldwater Chains offer excellent fishing regardless of which species you're after.  I tend to focus on bass most of the time and both of these chains offer up multiple opportunities each year to catch 18 - 20lb limits.  However, these lakes can also be humbling at times.

As for Lake of the Woods, its a pretty lake and a fun lake to fish throughout the summer months.  If you're fishing for bass, late spring and early summer is a great time to throw a finesse worm in the shallows where the reeds are sticking out of the water on sandy flats.  These areas also produce quality bluegills during the spawn and shortly thereafter.  I've heard that an occasional musky is pulled out of there, but I've never hooked up with any.  I do know that there are many depth changes within the lake and some of the water is definitely deep enough to support walleye and musky.  Now rather they are in there or not, that is yet to be determined.  Hope that helps.  You really can't go wrong fishing in the Coldwater Area.  There are plenty of great lake around!  Hope that helps.  Enjoy!

[BIGSHOW]

Anyone ever fish matteson lake out there?

[djkimmel]

I have seen a few fishing reports in the past mention it. Seems like it is a decent lake though not remarkable from what I remember but this isn't from anything real recent. I've never been there. Maybe you can go check it out and give us an update?