Fishing Forecast · Michigan · Updated October 2026

Clifford Lake

This forecast reads Clifford Lake's measured clarity, depth, and trophic state, with each species' biology, the sun and moon, and today's conditions, to call when the fish move on Clifford Lake and how to catch them.

10
fish species: 10 ft
water clarity: Natural lake
water body

Today · Sun Oct 11

★★★★★

The bite on Clifford Lake today. Sunrise 7:49 AM, sunset 7:05 PM.

Moon: New Moon · 0%
Major windows: 12:48 AM–2:48 AM · 1:11 PM–3:11 PM

Best day · next 2 weeks

Sat Oct 17

★★★★★

Waxing Crescent moon (38%). Fish the major windows at 5:44 AM and 6:09 PM.

Fishing Forecast for Clifford Lake

A multi-factor outlook built from Clifford Lake's measured water quality — clarity, trophic state, depth, and water-body type — combined with each species' biology, seasonal patterns, and today's live weather. It flags spawn timing, where the fish hold, and the techniques that fit this lake's water, not just the moon.

Largemouth Bass

Game FishFallFall feed-up

Very Good

~54°F est.

Clifford Lake runs 10 ft of clarity — so finesse presentations and natural colors on light line tend to out-fish reaction baits.

Because Clifford Lake averages 10 ft of visibility (clear), so finesse presentations and natural colors on light line tend to out-fish reaction baits.
Its mesotrophic nutrient level puts the summer weedline near 15–20 ft — that edge is the high-percentage zone to hold largemouth bass through the warm months.

Techniques for clear water

finesse: drop-shot, wacky/ned rignatural translucent colorslonger casts, fish low light

Season-by-season on Clifford Lake

Season	Where	Structure	How
Spring	shallow 1–6 ft	protected bays, pads, laydowns, warming flats	soft plastics, jigs, lipless cranks pre-spawn
Summer	shallow-to-mid 3–15 ft	weed edges, docks, lily pads, deep weedlines	topwater at dawn/dusk, Texas-rigged plastics, frogs
Fall	shallow 2–10 ft	bays chasing baitfish, remaining green weeds	spinnerbaits, squarebill cranks, chatterbaits
Winter / Ice	deep 12–25 ft	main-lake basin edges (largely dormant in the north)	slow finesse — a marginal cold-water bite

Bluegill

PanfishFallFall feed-up

Good

~54°F est.

Clifford Lake runs 10 ft of clarity — so finesse presentations and natural colors on light line tend to out-fish reaction baits.

Because Clifford Lake averages 10 ft of visibility (clear), so finesse presentations and natural colors on light line tend to out-fish reaction baits.
Its mesotrophic nutrient level puts the summer weedline near 15–20 ft — that edge is the high-percentage zone to hold bluegill through the warm months.

Techniques for clear water

tiny natural jigs, light linesmall flies & plastics

Season-by-season on Clifford Lake

Season	Where	Structure	How
Spring	shallow 1–6 ft	spawning beds in warm bays, near cover	small jigs, live worm/waxworm under a float
Summer	weed edges 5–15 ft	deeper weed edges by midsummer, docks, brush	ice-jigs tipped with plastics/live bait, small flies
Fall	mid 8–18 ft	deeper weedlines and basin edges	small jigs vertically, tiny spoons
Winter / Ice	8–20 ft	basin holes and deep weed edges	tungsten ice jigs with waxworms/plastics

Rock Bass

PanfishFallFall feed-up

Very Good

~54°F est.

Clifford Lake runs 10 ft of clarity — so finesse presentations and natural colors on light line tend to out-fish reaction baits.

Because Clifford Lake averages 10 ft of visibility (clear), so finesse presentations and natural colors on light line tend to out-fish reaction baits.
Its mesotrophic nutrient level puts the summer weedline near 15–20 ft — that edge is the high-percentage zone to hold rock bass through the warm months.

Techniques for clear water

small jigs & crayfish plastics

Season-by-season on Clifford Lake

Season	Where	Structure	How
Spring	shallow 3–10 ft	rock, boulder, gravel banks	small jigs, live bait, crankbaits
Summer	mid 6–18 ft	rock structure, docks	jigs, small soft plastics
Fall	mid 6–18 ft	rock structure	jigs and live bait
Winter / Ice	10–20 ft	deeper rock	small jigs

The outlook is a transparent heuristic weighting of established angling factors, this lake's measured water quality, and live conditions — not a validated catch predictor. Water temperature is estimated from season and latitude unless a recent USGS gauge reading is available. Planning a meal? Check fish-consumption advisories for Clifford Lake. Always follow current state regulations.

14-Day Fishing Calendar

Plan the next two weeks on Clifford Lake. Anglers target Blackchin shiner, Bluegill, Creek chub, Iowa darter, and others on Clifford Lake.

Date	Rating	Moon	Sunrise	Sunset	Major Periods	Minor Periods
Sun, Oct 11	★★½☆☆	New Moon 0% lit	7:49 AM	7:05 PM	12:48 AM – 2:48 AM 1:11 PM – 3:11 PM	8:31 AM – 9:31 AM 6:42 PM – 7:42 PM
Mon, Oct 12	★½☆☆☆	Waxing Crescent 2% lit	7:51 AM	7:03 PM	1:34 AM – 3:34 AM 1:58 PM – 3:58 PM	9:40 AM – 10:40 AM 7:09 PM – 8:09 PM
Tue, Oct 13	★☆☆☆☆	Waxing Crescent 6% lit	7:52 AM	7:01 PM	2:22 AM – 4:22 AM 2:47 PM – 4:47 PM	10:47 AM – 11:47 AM
Wed, Oct 14	½☆☆☆☆	Waxing Crescent 12% lit	7:53 AM	6:59 PM	3:12 AM – 5:12 AM 3:37 PM – 5:37 PM	7:41 PM – 8:41 PM 11:51 AM – 12:51 PM
Thu, Oct 15	★☆☆☆☆	Waxing Crescent 19% lit	7:54 AM	6:58 PM	4:03 AM – 6:03 AM 4:28 PM – 6:28 PM	8:20 PM – 9:20 PM 12:49 PM – 1:49 PM
Fri, Oct 16	★★☆☆☆	Waxing Crescent 28% lit	7:55 AM	6:56 PM	4:54 AM – 6:54 AM 5:19 PM – 7:19 PM	9:07 PM – 10:07 PM 1:39 PM – 2:39 PM
Sat, Oct 17	★★½☆☆	Waxing Crescent 38% lit	7:57 AM	6:55 PM	5:44 AM – 7:44 AM 6:09 PM – 8:09 PM	10:02 PM – 11:02 PM 2:20 PM – 3:20 PM
Sun, Oct 18	★★☆☆☆	First Quarter 49% lit	7:58 AM	6:53 PM	6:33 AM – 8:33 AM 6:57 PM – 8:57 PM	11:02 PM – 12:02 AM 2:55 PM – 3:55 PM
Mon, Oct 19	★★☆☆☆	Waxing Gibbous 59% lit	7:59 AM	6:51 PM	7:20 AM – 9:20 AM	12:06 AM – 1:06 AM 3:23 PM – 4:23 PM
Tue, Oct 20	★½☆☆☆	Waxing Gibbous 70% lit	8:00 AM	6:50 PM	7:43 PM – 9:43 PM 8:06 AM – 10:06 AM	1:12 AM – 2:12 AM 3:47 PM – 4:47 PM
Wed, Oct 21	☆☆☆☆☆	Waxing Gibbous 79% lit	8:02 AM	6:48 PM	8:28 PM – 10:28 PM 8:50 AM – 10:50 AM	2:19 AM – 3:19 AM 4:09 PM – 5:09 PM
Thu, Oct 22	☆☆☆☆☆	Waxing Gibbous 87% lit	8:03 AM	6:47 PM	9:12 PM – 11:12 PM 9:34 AM – 11:34 AM	3:27 AM – 4:27 AM 4:29 PM – 5:29 PM
Fri, Oct 23	★☆☆☆☆	Waxing Gibbous 93% lit	8:04 AM	6:45 PM	9:57 PM – 11:57 PM 10:19 AM – 12:19 PM	4:36 AM – 5:36 AM 4:49 PM – 5:49 PM
Sat, Oct 24	★½☆☆☆	Waxing Gibbous 98% lit	8:05 AM	6:44 PM	10:42 PM – 12:42 AM 11:06 AM – 1:06 PM	5:48 AM – 6:48 AM 5:11 PM – 6:11 PM

Server-rendered 14-day calendar starting 2026-10-11. Live in your browser shortly.

Methodology

How this forecast works

A plain solunar table only knows the moon. The LakeQuality Fishing Forecast starts there and adds what actually decides where and how fish bite on Clifford Lake — factors we measure rather than guess:

Water clarity — Clifford Lake's Secchi reading flips the playbook between clear-water finesse and stained-water reaction baits, and sets the low-light bite window.
Trophic state & depth — nutrient level and max depth set the summer weedline and whether the lake stratifies, which tells you how deep to fish.
Water-body type — natural lake vs. reservoir changes the structure that holds fish.
Species & season — each species' spawn-temperature window and seasonal movements, matched to the lake's estimated water temperature.
Sun & moon — the solunar major/minor periods and dawn/dusk twilight in the calendar below.

The species outlook is a transparent heuristic weighting of these established factors, and it now also factors in today's live conditions — wind, cloud cover, and the barometric (pressure) trend, recomputed for the current day. It's not a validated catch predictor, and water temperature is still an estimate from season and latitude unless a recent USGS gauge reading exists. It's the analysis a solunar table can't do, grounded in Clifford Lake's real, measured water quality.

How to read the calendar

Major periods (≈2 hours) are centered on lunar transit (when the moon is highest in the sky) and lunar opposition (when the moon is directly underfoot). These are typically the strongest feeding windows.

Minor periods (≈1 hour) are centered on moonrise and moonset. They're secondary windows that often produce well — especially when they coincide with sunrise or sunset.

Day rating combines moon phase (peak near new and full moons, when lunar gravity is strongest) with the overlap of major periods and the dawn/dusk twilight. A 4–5 star day stacks all three.

At Clifford Lake (lat 43.31°N), the longest day of the year is around June 21 with 15h 24m of daylight. The shortest is around December 21 with 8h 58m. Plan summer trips around the early-morning bite (around 5:30 AM) and the long evening window before sunset.

Frequently asked questions

What makes this better than a solunar fishing table for Clifford Lake?

A solunar table only uses the moon. The LakeQuality Fishing Forecast adds Clifford Lake's measured water quality — its clear water, trophic state, depth, and water-body type — matched to each species' spawn window and seasonal movements. That measured data drives where the fish hold and which techniques fit this lake's water, then the solunar calendar below adds the sun/moon timing. It's a transparent, multi-factor outlook, not a validated catch guarantee.

What is the best time to fish Clifford Lake today?

Today's solunar calendar for Clifford Lake (lat 43.31, lon -85.20) shows sunrise at 7:49 AM and sunset at 7:05 PM. The strongest fishing windows are around major solunar periods at 12:48 AM–2:48 AM and 1:11 PM–3:11 PM, plus the 30-90 minutes around dawn and dusk.

What does the moon phase mean for fishing Clifford Lake?

Solunar theory holds that fish activity peaks during major periods (when the moon is overhead or directly underfoot) and minor periods (moonrise and moonset). Fish feeding tends to intensify during the days surrounding the new moon and full moon, when lunar gravity is strongest. Today's moon at Clifford Lake is New Moon (0% illuminated).

When are the longest and shortest days at Clifford Lake?

At Clifford Lake's latitude (43.31°N), the longest day of the year is around June 21 with about 15h 24m of daylight. The shortest day is around December 21 with about 8h 58m of daylight. Sunrise and sunset shift by roughly 6 hours between solstices.

Are major or minor solunar periods more important?

Major periods (about 2 hours, centered on lunar transit and lunar opposition) are generally considered the strongest feeding windows. Minor periods (about 1 hour, centered on moonrise and moonset) are secondary but still productive — especially when they overlap with sunrise or sunset.

More for Clifford Lake

Where to stay near Clifford Lake

Top-rated places to stay near Clifford Lake

Prices for Oct 16–18, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.

See the full where-to-stay map for Clifford Lake →

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The species outlook is a transparent, multi-factor heuristic built from Clifford Lake's measured water quality (clarity, trophic state, depth, water-body type) and established species biology, and it now also factors in today's live conditions — wind, cloud cover, and the barometric (pressure) trend, recomputed for the current day. It's not a validated catch predictor, and water temperature is still an estimate from season and latitude unless a recent USGS gauge reading is available. Solunar times use lat/lon and Meeus astronomical formulas, shown in Eastern Time. Always check local regulations and current conditions before fishing.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

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