Thornapple (and other muskie lakes) are noted and shown in SW Michigan Sportsman map book (available at
Ganders etc) and several good muskie spots are marked..but in general there is
a break w/weeds around most of the lake and those breaks will hold fish(big NP and musky)..
..fish will be up on shore (shallow) in spring..and then off to deeper water as water warms (per usual) . Weeds can get thick tho..and water conditions can change with weather (rain etc). DNR launch there is so-so but launch at county park is good..but usually goes in late(end of May)/and is out early

Check posting on web of DNR muskie plants in SW Michigan for other lakes in SW ..there are several within an hour or so of Niles .. Join MMA and you can get weekly, detailed info. on specific lakes via members forum.

"shibes24" said:
Does anyone have any lure or lure color choices to use at Thornapple. I hear it is usually quite a stained lake. Any suggestions for type of lures or colors. Thanks

shibes24

Since you're familiar with Indiana water… The water color in Thornapple would be most similar to Big Barbee and/or Webster. Clear at certain times of year and stained and/or bloom at other times of the year.

It's your standard muskie lake, anything will/can work at anytime. What works for some doesn't work for others. Your best bet, as with any water, is to use lures that you can work corectly and effectively. This normally means those that you have confidence in. Lure color is the same, some will swear by gaudy/bright colors, others love natural colors but you might love prizm or holoform. Confidence is 90% of the game.

You'll find that people are less willing to give up specifics on some Michigan water, particularly if they don't know you. Why? Because some of these lakes can't support large numbers of fish compared to a lake like Webster. In Webster you're talking more than 5 adults per acre, in Thornapple the population is around .8 fish per acre. This means that any significant pressure on Thornapple can really hurt the fishery due to delayed mortality. The primary reason Thornapple has a 50" size limit is to keep the broodstock females in the lake.