Belleville Lake Preview

Name: Belleville Lake, Ypsilanti, MI
Type: Impoundment on the Huron River system
Size: 1270 acres
Clarity: Stained with average clarity about 3 feet
Structure: Points, flats with lots of gravel and a river channel that runs the length of the lake
Cover: Weeds (bulrush), stumps, docks and laydowns
Weather: Forecast calls for 80 degrees and partly sunny. Slight chance of t-storms.
Projected winning weight: Probably around 8-9 pounds.


Belleville Lake is located near Ypsilanti and is a riverine system containing both smallmouth and largemouth. It has a maximum depth of 29 feet and contains many types of fishing options such as rip-rap, islands, seawalls, roadbeds and old foundations. It is known as a decent largemouth lake but smallies do show up at weigh-ins. The east end is the downriver portion of the lake, closest to the dam and contains most of the gravel and rock. As you head upriver the lake becomes shallower and weedier and that is where most of the wood is located.


Since the club has not been to Belleville in 20 years, most of the members will be seeing it for the first time. The members will be confronted with many challenges such as to target the more dependable largemouth on the west end or go after the smallmouth on the rockier and deeper east end. Current is a big factor on river systems but many times water is not pulled on weekends making fishing that much tougher. The low water clarity should also be factored in as most of our tournament lakes are clear and weedy. Crankbaits may come into play as could flipping and frog fishing.


Due to the close proximity to I-94 and the Metro area, this lake receives lots of pressure and those who have fished it say it will fish tough. Bringing in a small limit could very well take home first place. The event will be this sunday from 7am to 3pm and will go out of the Mayberry State Park area located on Huron River Dr., halfway between Haggerty Rd. and Belleville Rd. Thunderstorms are in the forecast for the weekend which could also add to the drama.


I will be pre-fishing the lake later on in the week and will detail all of my findings. The race for the classic and AOY are becoming interesting so this should be an intriguing event.