← Newaygo County

Nichols Lake

📍 Newaygo County, Michigan

Nichols Lake is a fishing water in Newaygo County, Michigan (Central Lake Michigan management unit).

41
Fish species
0
Boat launches
✓
Public access
Conditions today D 40/100 Below-average Last stocked Jun 4, 2025 Walleye, 1.4 years ago Keeper size (estimated) Walleye Stocked fish likely at keeper size by now Access 0 boat launches Public access

📊 Fishing Conditions

The fishing conditions score rates how favorable Nichols Lake looks for the day you pick (today by default), from 0 to 100. It adds up five things: how recently the lake was stocked, the moon phase, the season, how many game and panfish species live here (such as bluegill, largemouth bass and walleye), and the size of the lake. It does not include the weather forecast. The cards below show how many points each factor contributed.

D
40/100
Sunday, November 1, 2026
Conditions score

Below-average, consider a different lake or time of day.

🎣 Stocking
Last stocked Jun 4, 2025
Last: Jun 4, 2025
🌗 Moon Phase
Last Quarter
Feeding bonus
🍃 Season
Late Fall: fish fattening up
November
🐟 Species
5 game species present
Game & panfish
📐 Lake Size
Size unknown
Surface area

Fishing Tips for Nichols Lake Today

Fall fish at Nichols Lake are feeding heavily before winter. Match the forage: shad, crawfish, and perch patterns work well.

📊 Fishing Pressure

Fishing pressure is our estimate of how busy Nichols Lake is likely to be today. It looks at the day of the week, the time of year, and whether the lake has been stocked recently, because fresh stockings tend to draw anglers. Lower pressure usually means more room to work the water for bluegill, largemouth bass and walleye.

Moderate estimated pressure today
Weekend Popular stocking lake

Moderate activity expected. Midweek mornings are typically quieter.

Estimate based on day of week, season, and recent stocking. Not a live crowd count.

🐟 Fish Species in Nichols Lake

Bluegill Good
Lepomis macrochirus
Largemouth Bass Good
Micropterus salmoides
Walleye Good
Sander vitreus
Golden Shiner Good
Notemigonus crysoleucas
Redear Sunfish Good
Lepomis microlophus
Blackstripe Topminnow Good
Fundulus notatus
Bluntnose Minnow Good
Pimephales notatus
Brook Silverside Good
Labidesthes sicculus
Brook Stickleback Good
Culaea inconstans
Central Mudminnow Good
Umbra limi
Common Shiner Good
Luxilus cornutus
Emerald Shiner Good
Notropis atherinoides
Fathead Minnow Good
Pimephales promelas
Finescale Dace Good
Phoxinus neogaeus
Ghost Shiner Good
Notropis buchanani
Golden Redhorse Good
Moxostoma erythrurum
Goldfish Good
Carassius auratus
Lake Chub Good
Couesius plumbeus
Lake Chubsucker Good
Erimyzon sucetta
Least Darter Good
Etheostoma microperca
Longnose Sucker Good
Catostomus catostomus
Mimic Shiner Good
Notropis volucellus
Mottled Sculpin Good
Cottus bairdii
Ninespine Stickleback Good
Pungitius pungitius
Northern Pearl Dace Good
Margariscus nachtriebi
Northern Redbelly Dace Good
Phoxinus eos
Pugnose Minnow Good
Opsopoeodus emiliae
Redfin Shiner Good
Lythrurus umbratilis
Sand Shiner Good
Notropis stramineus
Shorthead Redhorse Good
Moxostoma macrolepidotum
Silver Chub Good
Macrhybopsis storeriana
Slimy Sculpin Good
Cottus cognatus
Spotfin Shiner Good
Cyprinella spiloptera
Spottail Shiner Good
Notropis hudsonius
Spotted Sucker Good
Minytrema melanops
Starhead Topminnow Good
Fundulus dispar
Threespine Stickleback Good
Gasterosteus aculeatus
Trout-Perch Good
Percopsis omiscomaycus
Western Banded Killifish Good
Fundulus diaphanus
Western Creek Chubsucker Good
Erimyzon oblongus
White Sucker Good
Catostomus commersonii
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📅 Best Time to Fish Nichols Lake

Combined bite activity across all 41 species in this lake.

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

📏 Fishing Regulations

Statewide general rules for the species found here. Individual waters can have exceptions (special size limits, closed seasons, trout lake types), so check this lake's listing in the official DNR Fishing Guide before heading out.
SpeciesMin sizeDaily limit
BluegillNone25 sunfish combined
Largemouth Bass14"5 bass combined
Walleye15"5
Redear SunfishNone25 sunfish combined
📅 Stocking Timeline 5-year history
4 Stocking events
32,173 Fish stocked
1 Species
516d Since last stock
1099d Longest gap
Walleye 32,173
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
Today
Qty / event
Jun '17
Jun '19
Jun '22
Jun '25

📋 Nichols Lake Stocking Records

Date Species Quantity Size
Jun 4, 2025 Walleye 8,039 1.2"
Jun 8, 2022 Walleye 7,200 1.0"
Jun 5, 2019 Walleye 8,127 1.1"
Jun 9, 2017 Walleye 8,807 1.6"
Jun 2, 2015 Walleye 8,410 1.5"
May 30, 2013 Walleye 9,965 1.4"
Jun 8, 2011 Walleye 7,134 1.3"
Jun 2, 2009 Walleye 8,000 1.0"
Jun 15, 2005 Walleye 16,163 1.1"
May 29, 2003 Walleye 16,303 1.0"
Jun 11, 2001 Walleye 11,000 1.4"
Jun 7, 1999 Walleye 16,633 1.1"
Jun 23, 1997 Walleye 13,004 1.9"
Jun 18, 1996 Walleye 16,000 1.2"
Jun 14, 1995 Walleye 60,969 1.5"
Jun 9, 1995 Walleye 22,135 1.3"
Jun 5, 1995 Walleye 2,781 1.2"
Jun 14, 1994 Walleye 20,875 1.9"
Oct 2, 1993 Walleye 1,400 3.4"
Oct 1, 1992 Walleye 266 8.6"
Oct 1, 1992 Walleye 2,392 3.4"
Sep 15, 1992 Walleye 3,200 2.7"
Oct 25, 1991 Walleye 1,351 6.0"
Sep 30, 1991 Walleye 2,900 2.8"
Apr 1, 1991 Walleye 92 21.0"
Showing 25 of 30 stocking records, newest first

* Records shown are from our database. For the most current data, visit the Michigan DNR directly.

📅 Stocking Forecast

Based on 30 historical stocking events at this lake. Next likely stocking window: Jun.
Peak Stocking Months
Jun Oct Sep
Most Stocked Species
Walleye

* Forecast is based on historical DNR data and is not a guarantee of future stocking.

⚓ Nichols Lake Boat Launches

No launch data on record for this lake. Browse all Michigan boat launches.

💡 Angler Tips for Nichols Lake

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🌤 Current Nichols Lake Weather Conditions

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🔗 Resources

📋 DNR Stocking Database 📖 Michigan Fishing Guide (PDF) 🗺 View on Map 📍 Google Maps 🎣 Log a catch here