StockingMap

Crystal Lake

Fishing and stocking

Walleye water; one stocking on the 2026 record, in April. A 709-acre lake, and one of 5 stocked waters on the Montcalm County record.

Montcalm County · Michigan · see it on the national map

last stocked Apr 29 177 days ago
best window 10:40 pm-12:40 am solunar major today
1 stocking 2026
499,500 fish reported
709 acres (NHD)

The year here

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecApril 29, 2026 Walleye (fry) 499,500 fish stocked

stocked last 7 days announced ahead · tap a tick for details

What swims here

Walleye illustration Walleye 1 stocking

Stocking record 2026

Agency feed checked Oct 14.

DateSpeciesSize FishStatus
Apr 29 Walleye fry 499,500 completed

When to fish Crystal Lake

Major periods (~2 h) Minor periods (~1 h)
Today 10:17 am-12:17 pm and 10:40 pm-12:40 am 4:34-5:34 am and 4:49-5:49 pm
Tomorrow 11:04 am-1:04 pm 5:45-6:45 am and 5:10-6:10 pm

Moon: waxing gibbous, 92% lit. These are solunar periods, the traditional feeding-time theory: majors around the moon's transit overhead and underfoot, minors around moonrise and moonset. Theory, not a measurement. Times are Eastern Time (EDT).

What the record actually says

Computed this evening, Oct 23 · Michigan fishing forecast

Getting on the water

Access pointTypeNotes
Crystal Lake North boat ramp Recreation Passport required · accessible facilities

Access points from the Michigan DNR boating access inventory. Ramps, fees, and hours change; check before towing a boat a long way.

Gear for this water

It has been a while since the trucks came. The holdovers have spread out and wised up; downsize and fish natural.

For the walleye (walleye stocked 1 time here in 2026, stillwater)

Crawler harness slow-trolled over flats and breaks once water warms
Medium spinning rod 6.5 to 7 ft medium, 8 lb line; sensitivity beats power here
Jigging raps and blade baits vertical over deep structure in the cold months

Suggestions follow from what the state actually stocks here and what kind of water it is, nothing else. No sponsored placements.

Nearby stocked waters

The closest waters with stocking pages of their own, straight-line miles from this one.

WaterDistance Most recent
Marl Lake 10.0 mi Apr 1
Nevins Lake 10 mi Apr 1
Clifford Lake 13 mi May 29
Fish Creek 15 mi Apr 28
Prairie Creek 20 mi May 6

Follow Montcalm County stocking: RSS / Calendar (iCal) / Print the schedule

Records from Michigan DNR (official page). Placement from USGS GNIS and the National Hydrography Dataset. Schedules change without notice. Seasons, limits, and licenses: Michigan fishing regulations.