Texas Rig Fishing on Gun Lake
Gun Lake · Michigan · Midwest
Gun Lake sits in Barry County in southwest Michigan, a natural glacial basin running roughly 2,680 acres with clean, relatively clear water and a diverse structural profile — sand flats, hard-bottom points, weedy bays, and mid-lake rock piles. The fishery holds both largemouth and smallmouth bass, with largemouth dominating the shallower weed-edge cover and smallmouth stacking on the harder offshore structure. Fishing pressure runs moderate to high from Memorial Day through Labor Day, given the lake's accessibility from Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo.
A bullet sinker slides freely on the line ahead of a wide-gap hook with a weedless-rigged soft plastic. The rig is completely snag-resistant, making it the go-to choice for grass, timber, and heavy cover. Works with virtually any soft plastic — worms, craws, creatures, lizards.
Texas Rig Setup for Gun Lake
| Rod | 7'–7'3" medium-heavy casting rod, fast action |
| Reel | 7.1:1 or faster baitcaster |
| Line | 15–20 lb fluorocarbon or 30–50 lb braid in heavy cover |
| Weight | 3/16–1/2 oz tungsten bullet weight (peg it in heavy cover) |
| Hook | 3/0–5/0 EWG wide gap hook sized to plastic |
Seasonal Tactics on Gun Lake
Lake: Pre-spawn largemouth move onto protected sand and muck flats in 4–8 ft as water temps climb through the low 50s into the upper 50s; shallow jerkbaits and paddle-tail swimbaits on the inside weed edge produce before the spawn push. Smallmouth stage on gravel points in 10–15 ft and respond well to tube jigs and drop shots ahead of their own spawn in late May.
Texas Rig: Slow drag through spawning flats and around beds. Lizards and creature baits in crawfish colors.
Lake: Post-spawn largemouth retreat to the deep weed edge at 10–14 ft, where sparse cabbage and coontail edges hold fish through August; a Texas-rigged Zoom Magnum Trick Worm or a 3/8 oz swim jig covers both the inside and outside break. Smallmouth school on mid-lake humps and rock transitions in 18–28 ft and feed actively on Ned rigs and drop shots during low-light windows.
Texas Rig: Pitch into shade — docks, mats, and laydowns. Pegged weight for matted grass punching.
Lake: As surface temps drop below 60 degrees in October, baitfish schools compress and both species chase shad on main-lake points and sandy flat transitions; a No-Wake spook or a 3/4 oz blade bait covers the reaction bite while a football jig on the 20 ft gravel transitions picks up the bigger smallmouth. Weed edges collapse by early November, pushing largemouth onto bare hard-bottom secondary points in 8–12 ft.
Texas Rig: Cover water quickly on points and along weed lines. Faster retrieve with a reaction element.
Lake: Ice fishing is the dominant winter pursuit on Gun Lake, but open-water anglers targeting the late-fall/early-winter window find largemouth suspended tight to dock pilings and standing timber in 10–14 ft; a blade bait or a 1/4 oz finesse jig fished very slowly on 8 lb fluorocarbon is the most consistent cold-water presentation.
Texas Rig: Slow drag on deep structure, 15–30 feet. Finesse Texas rig with 1/4 oz and 6" worm.
Best Conditions
Heavy cover — grass, timber, laydowns, docks; murky to stained water; any season; pre-spawn and post-spawn periods
Peg the weight with a rubber toothpick when fishing grass. A sliding weight catches weeds; a pegged weight punches through clean.
More Techniques for Gun Lake
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