Greeting from the West Coast. My family is having a big reunion in July and have rented a house near Emerald Lake. My plan is to fish every day we're there and I'd certainly appreciate some lure and/or tactic recommendations. We don't have smallmouth bass out here in Southern California so everything I have is geared toward largemouth. And if there are any other species I should target, or any other important information I should know, I'm definitely interested. Thanks in advance!

If this is the same lake you're talking about,doesn't seem to be any smallies. Looks like it would be a decent pike lake tho.





ETA: Just looked in my lake/fishing map books and that lake isn't listed in neither of them.Kinda odd.



 

ETA V2.0: Heres another emerald lake.

Had a feeling there may be more than one Emerald Lake in Michigan. We'll be on the shore of the Emerald Lake in Newaygo County.

Senko's, Spooks, and spinners is all I ever catch smallies on.

For real on the wacky rigged Senko.... I live on Gull near Kalamazoo, and used to carry three bass boxes out on my boat.  Now there's just a couple packs of senkos tucked in the console, I don't think Ive ever caught less than 15-20 fish going out there with those.  Green with watermelon fleck or something similar.

Good to know I can count on my senkos out there. Though now I'm concerned there aren't any smallies in the lake I'll be fishing. Any tips for pike fishing in July?

https://www.michigan.gov/documents/dnr/2010-83_303221_7.pdf

Mepps,bucktails,shad raps,spoons.Even hit them on deep divers.My go to..is a spinner or bucktail in pink.

 
I usually cast and troll along the edges of weedbeds and drop offs.Works really well if you have a young one or two stiring up the bait fish with bobber and worm.

Cats are rumoured to hang out in the channels connecting the lakes

Emerald is in the chain of lakes that finally drains into the Muskegon River in Downtown Newaygo


There has been numerous plantings of walleye, but most local yokels are very tight lipped.

I don't fish Emerald and I don't care.

I found out at an estate sale on the chain of lakes

Heck, I just found out 5000 walleye have been planted in the lake 1000' from me. I had a chance meeting with a neighbor while walking the riverfront in Newaygo. She lives on the lake by me.

Funny none of my friends cared to share that info.

Yeah I've got a local lake near me that you'd think is Fort Knox with the way people keep secrets about it. Even the rangers who work the lake won't give up any info about fish plants. Very annoying.

Thanks for the info on the cats and walleye. I've definitely got some research to do.

You can look up what fish the DNR has stocked in the various lakes:
Fish Stock Tool

Cool, thank you. Doesn't look like they stock a damn thing in the lake I'll be closest too.

That's only what DNR stocks.  A LOT of lake associations do their own stocking of lakes.  If there's a good deal of homes on the lake, it's more than likely their association has done some of their own stocking.

That's what I'm talking about

That would be great. While the idea of catching pike is certainly exciting, I was really hoping for a shot at some smallies.

My family has stayed a week on Pickerel Lake (connected to Emerald) every summer for years.  Hopefully you have a boat small enough to get through the tunnels connecting the lakes.  

Emerald Lake
-It's pretty, but never caught many fish there.  A few bass along shore.  Always marked schools in deep water at night west of the bridge, but could never catch them.

Pickerel Lake
-Troll rapalas at dusk on the north side of the lake directly north of the boat ramp.  There is a steep drop off on the NNW shoreline that holds pike and walleye.
-Crappie schools can often be found in the NW section of the lake.  Powerbait minnow jigs.
-Bass in the skinny little finger off the north side of the lake and the SE shoreline.  Surface lures, frogs, zara puppy at night.  

Kimball Lake
-There are two sunken islands that can be seen on Google Maps.  They hold panfish.  Jigs or worms.
-Shallows in the end of the north bay hold big largemouth.  Throw yellow of black Yamamotos on a jig.

Sylvan Lake
-Crappie when you can find the schools.  Minnow jigs again.
-Some bass around the island.  

No Smallies in any of the chain of lakes.

Little Switzerland is a campground on Pickerel.  You can dock a boat there they have an ice cream shop, camp store, and candy store for kids.  

Parsley's Sport Shop in downtown Newaygo is a good spot for bait and advice on what's biting.  They have weekly fishing contests.


Nearby Muskegon River from the city of Newaygo west is full of smallies.  And drunks in canoes.  Hardy Dam pond has smallies,  and but is a huge deep lake that's hard to fish.  

Happy fishing.  

That's a ton of great info, thank you!

No problem. The cottage we always rented was sold last year. Kinda disappointed not to be going there this year. Enjoy your vacation.

Thank you. It's our first time out there and we're definitely excited. If there's anything else in the area we should check out I'm all ears. Mind you there is going to be something like 20 of us, but we'll have a few cars we'll be able to take if need be.

My go to's:

Hula popper. Yup I said it. But only early or late...never luck in the heat of the day. I've had mixed luck with the Zara spook as an alternate top water. I work the popper slow. Tease em, don't make a racket.

Watermelon or green pumpkin dead ringer on a sled head rigged weedless. Hop in across the bottom when it's hot or weather changes and they move deeper. Alternatively, swim it across the front of a weed bed.

White pearl zoom fluke on a weightless swimbait hook. My favorite is running an ultralight with a fluke Jr.  Real challenge landing even middling guys through vegetation. Nothing will bring a bass camped under a fallen tree or lily pad like a well placed fluke IMO. Hard jerkbaits (prefer suspending) work too, but aren't as easy to get into tough places without getting hung up.

As for pike, mepps black fury is the only way to go. Yellow dots seem to work best where perch are, but I've had luck with red and orange too. Never white. Don't know if it needs to be said, but use a steel leader for pike or expect to lose your lure. And if you think you snagged, it might just be a pike. Nothing like seeing a pike make a U as he sees the boat and tries to zip away. The dardevle/daredevil spoon is a hometown MI lure a lot swear by, but I've never caught anything worth mentioning on one.

Never understood people in MI having luck with spinnerbaits or jigs. I haul nothing but water with them. I've mad marginal success in TN with spinnerbaits, but not here.

Out of everything you mentioned the only thing I don't have are the Mepps Black Fury spinners. What size should I get?

There is a place in Newaygo where you can rent tubes, kayaks, and canoes and float the Muskegon River.  Bring a cooler or a fishing pole.  Might be something fun to do with a group.  https://www.wisnercanoes.com/

#5s or bigger.

 

Sorry, haven't checked in the hometown forums for a minute. While I'd agree with #5+ for Muskie, for the relatively smaller pike I use a 4, sometimes even a 3 when I know the pike are likely to be closer to 2'.

ETA: I also fish the SE area, where there's a lot more pressure simply due to population concentration. I'd imagine the lakes to the west and north are gonna have some bigger fish, so a #5 may be appropriate.