Hiland Lake-Half Moon Lake-Blind Lake

Hiland Lake
This lake is first of seven lakes in the Hiland chain of lakes. It covers 123 acres, 12 feet maximum depth and is home to some big fish, according to the folks at Dick’s sport Shop, 3600 Grand River, Howell, MI 48843, 517-546-8530. There have been largemouth bass up to 7 pounds caught her. Bluegills are abundant and are often big. The lake also holds some perch, in the 7 to 8 inch range and crappies that average 9 to 11 inches. If you’re after large gamefish, some big northern pike can found here, also. The pike will strike spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, and of course, a large sucker or shiner minnow is an option. Focus on weeds for pike. Bass busters will do well with a variety of soft plastics fished along submerged weedbeds. Though of modest size, Hiland has plenty of coves, points, narrows and even an island.

Half Moon Lake
This lake is the next in the chain and a DNR report on the public access for Half Moon Lake said it’s located “one mile south of Hell”, but don’t let that discourage you from visiting this 236 acre lake and maximum depth of 87 feet. Hell is a tiny community near the Pinckney State Recreations Area, and Half Moon is well worth a visit, despite its proximity to the nether region. Craig Kivi of Log Cabin Hardware and Golden Drake Fly Shop, 9280 McGregor Rd, Pinckney, MI 48169, 734-426-2256, says Half Moon is known as a panfish and pike lake, which is not a bad thing to be, which is not a bad thing to be, since panfish are usually easy to catch and good to eat. There are also some big northern pike that strike with vengeance and normally have lots of meat on their aggressive bones. Bluegills are not only numerous in this lake, but they can run up to 10 inches. Northern pike are not nearly as numerous, but are of decent size and worth the effort to find. Half Moon also has some bi smallmouth bass, which average 14 to 17 inches, and a fair number of crappies. The DNR has stocked walleyes in the lake, but the fish don’t seem to have survived in large numbers. Half Moon Lake is especially productive in early spring. Half Moon has some sharp drop-offs along the southern shore and near the narrows toward the eastern end. The far eastern end also features some sunken brush around the shoreline that is often a magnet for baitfish and predators that feed on them. One sign that this is a good fishing lake is that the parking lot fills up fast on many days, so try to arrive early or be prepared to wait awhile to get your boat in the water. Like most of the larger lakes in this populous area, there are a fair number of recreational boaters on Half Moon.

Blind Lake
This lake is 65 acres and a maximum depth of 80 feet and is reachable via a channel on the west end of Half Moon. The DNR has stocked rainbow trout and splake there in the past, but with poor results. The lake is currently not being stoked with any species. Anglers can find some largemouth bass here: Look for largemouths along submerged weedbeds and near any visible cover. There are also a fair number of bluegills and a few northern pike, both of modest size. Like bass, pike and bluegills will also use available weeds as cover. For a small lake, Blind is surprisingly deep, with depths to 80 feet in a pool near the middle. This means there are some sharp drop-offs, especially along the western shore.