Portage Lake fishing in Michigan usually means Big Portage Lake in Waterloo Recreation Area, east of Munith in Jackson County: an all-sports lake with a state boat launch, a day-use beach and good bass, panfish and northern pike water. The Oaks Campground is a 9-minute drive from that launch, and it has its own stocked fishing lake with a dock, so campers fish the pond at camp in the morning and Portage Lake in the afternoon. Here is what each water offers, where the public access is, which other Waterloo lakes are worth a day, and what you need to know about licenses and keeping your catch.
Fishing Portage Lake, Michigan (Waterloo Recreation Area)
Big Portage Lake is the largest and best-known of Waterloo’s 11 inland lakes. Anglers report largemouth bass, bluegill and other panfish, black crappie, yellow perch and northern pike, and walleye and smallmouth bass show up in catch reports too. It is an all-sports lake, so ski boats and personal watercraft share it on summer afternoons. Our team’s tip: fish early or late, when the lake is calm and the weedlines along the shore hold feeding bass, and leave the middle of the day to the skiers. Campground guests with their own boats find it convenient, and seasonal campers at The Oaks can store a boat in our boat storage area for free.
The lake’s Portage Lake unit is the busiest part of the recreation area. There is a designated swim beach, a beach house, picnic areas, two pavilions, a playground and an 18-hole disc golf course, and a concession stand that rents watercraft from about mid-May to early October. After a morning on the water, many of our campers head to Portage Lake Parlor, a lakeside restaurant a few minutes away that serves boaters and is known among our guests for its barbecue and its onion rings. As one campground employee put it, “the batter stays on the onion ring, and we think that’s how you really know if a restaurant knows how to make onion rings.”
Where is the Portage Lake public access?
The public boat launch is on Big Portage Lake inside the Portage Lake unit of Waterloo Recreation Area, near Grass Lake and Munith. It is a state launch, so a Michigan Recreation Passport is required on your vehicle. From The Oaks it is about 9 minutes by car. Waterloo also has public launches on Cedar, Green, Crooked, Mill, Mud, Walsh and Winnewana lakes and a carry-down launch on Doyle Lake; the Sugarloaf Lake access is for campers of that state campground only. Michigan’s DNR has the current launch details and any closures.
The fishing pond at The Oaks: shaded, quiet and full of big fish
Our fishing lake sits behind the campground, with a dock on one side and a wooded shoreline you can walk around to the back. It is stocked with bass, crappie, bluegill, carp and other panfish, and the fish grow large. This season a guest sent us a photo of a dad holding a fish his son had caught, with the boy standing next to him, and the fish was nearly as tall as the boy. Our team’s theory on why: the spring-fed swim lake spills into the warmer fishing lake, and the fishing lake has an outlet that eventually feeds the Portage River watershed. Big fish seem to come up that water in spring, stay when the floods recede, and then face far less fishing pressure than they would on Portage Lake itself.
- Kids and first-timers: start on the dock. It reaches toward the middle of the lake and is the closest thing to a guaranteed bite. Bank fishing is harder and better suited to experienced anglers.
- Shaded spots: walk around to the back side of the lake, where the shoreline runs through the trees. Some of our camper kids make that trek on purpose so they can fish alone.
- Bait and gear: the camp store sells worms, bait and fishing gear. We don’t have loaner rods, so bring your own.
- Keep or release: keeping fish is allowed on our lake. Most people release, and we encourage it so the next kid gets the same thrill of pulling a big one out.
- Fishing contests: our Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day weekends include a kids’ fishing contest with prizes for the most fish, the biggest fish and the smallest fish. Check the Oaks events page for dates.
- Your own boat: you can paddle a kayak or canoe on the fishing lake. Dogs can swim there too, since it is downstream of the swim lake.
A new dock has already been purchased and is planned for installation in 2027. For tips on what is biting, ask at the store or talk to a long-time seasonal camper; several of them have fished this lake for years.
Other Waterloo lakes to fish from The Oaks
Waterloo Recreation Area covers more than 20,000 acres, the largest state park in the Lower Peninsula, and most of its lakes are a short drive from camp. The DNR describes bass, panfish and pike as common throughout. A few to try:
- Green Lake: a public launch and a 25-site rustic state campground on the shore; a quieter lake than Portage.
- Crooked Lake: public launch and a fishing pier.
- Mill Lake: public launch near the Gerald E. Eddy Discovery Center, which is worth a stop with kids for its geology and habitat exhibits.
- Cedar, Walsh, Winnewana and Mud lakes: smaller public launches, good for a canoe or kayak and a slow morning.
- Sugarloaf Lake: a 164-site modern state campground; the lake access is reserved for its campers.
Our Waterloo camping guide covers the state campgrounds and trails in more detail.
Do you need a fishing license at Portage Lake or at The Oaks?
On Portage Lake and the other Waterloo lakes, yes: Michigan requires a fishing license for anyone 17 or older on public waters. A 2026 resident annual all-species license is $26, a nonresident annual is $76, a 24-hour license for residents or nonresidents is $10, and anglers under 17 fish free (an optional youth license is $2). Licenses run through March 31 of the following year and are sold online at the DNR’s site and at many sporting goods counters. Follow state size and possession limits on the public lakes.
At The Oaks, no license is needed: our fishing lake is private and completely surrounded by our own land, so it isn’t public water.
Campgrounds with fishing near Waterloo Park
If you want to camp and fish in the Waterloo area, you have two good kinds of options:
- State campgrounds inside the recreation area. Portage Lake Modern Campground has 136 sites with 30- or 50-amp electric on the lake itself. Sugarloaf Lake Modern Campground has 164 electric sites and a campers-only swim area. Green Lake Rustic Campground has 25 sites with vault toilets and a hand pump. Reserve at midnrreservations.com; a Recreation Passport is required.
- The Oaks Campground. The private option next door: 155 acres with about 120 acres of trails, water-and-electric RV sites (50 amp on short-term sites) from 35×65 up to 55×120 feet, 20 tent sites (T1 to T12 and 178/179 with electric; T13 to T18 primitive), a sand beach with the Aquaglide floating water park, a free Kangaroo Jumper, bathhouses with showers and laundry, weekend events and food trucks, and the fishing lake described above. Portage Lake’s launch is 9 minutes away. See The Oaks amenities and rates; RV sites start around the high $40s a night and vary by date.
Families often split the difference: fish the pond at camp before breakfast, spend midday at our beach, and trailer the boat to Portage Lake for the evening bite. For more fishing campgrounds across the state, see Michigan campgrounds with fishing, and for the lakes to swim in around here, swimming near Portage Lake.
Portage Lake fishing FAQ
What fish are in Portage Lake, Michigan?
Largemouth bass, bluegill and sunfish, black crappie, yellow perch and northern pike are the common catches, with walleye and smallmouth bass reported less often.
When is the best time to fish Portage Lake?
Dawn and the last two hours before dark, especially in summer when ski boats take over the lake midday. Spring and fall give the most consistent daytime fishing.
Can you fish from shore at The Oaks?
Yes. The dock is the easy spot, and the wooded back side of the lake is for bank fishing. Both are a short walk or golf cart ride from any site.
Can I rent a boat near Portage Lake?
The concession at the Portage Lake day-use area rents watercraft in season. The Oaks does not rent boats, but you can bring your own kayak or canoe for our fishing lake.
How far is The Oaks from Jackson and Ann Arbor?
The Oaks is in Munith, northeast of Jackson and west of Ann Arbor on the edge of Waterloo Recreation Area. See camping near Jackson for directions.
