Belleville Lake

Description

Belleville Lake is a reservoir located mostly within Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A very small portion extends west into Washtenaw County. The lake was created from the construction of the French Landing Dam and Powerhouse along the Huron River in 1925. Belleville Lake is a very popular fishing destination. Common fish species include bluegill, catfish (black bullhead, brown bullhead, yellow bullhead, and channel catfish), common carp, black crappie, large and smallmouth bass, muskellunge (including tiger muskellunge), northern pike, rock bass, silver bass, suckers, sunfish, walleye, and yellow perch. Many of these species are routinely stocked and monitored by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Belleville Lake is one of the few inland lakes in southeastern Michigan with an established population of the invasive round goby, which are now integrated into the lake’s ecosystem and spreading to other areas of the Huron River. Smaller fish routinely caught or netted include brook silverside, emerald shiner, golden shiner, logperch, spotfin shiner, spottail shiner, and white perch. According to one study, bluegill amounted to 61% of total catches on the lake. Belleville Lake has numerous listings on the state’s Master Angler Entries. The largest fish listed is a common carp at 36.50 inches (92.71 cm) with other similarly sized carps also listed. A channel catfish is also listed at 33.25 inches (84.46 cm) and a largemouth bass at 25.75 inches (65.41 cm).