Fishing at Clear Lake, Lake County, California

• Overview

  Clear Lake is a Lake County water, California side. Height above sea level is 1,322 feet. Around 60.2 sq miles of open water: conditions change from one end to the other. The form is ragged, which puts a lot of structure within casting range. By surface area it heads our Lake County listings. Lucerne lies 2.5 miles from the water. Santa Rosa sits 43 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Clear Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Reported across Lake County: Sacramento sucker, bluegill and rainbow trout. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. On Clear Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The range across the year is 44°F to 73°F. Heat sets the pattern from late spring onward. The first and last hours carry the summer; the middle is slow. April and May are the settled weeks, with October close behind. The season on Clear Lake rarely departs from it. A settled spell fishes better than a bright one.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. The map shows no ramp or car park nearby, so this is a walk-in water. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Adobe Reservoir sits 8.9 miles off and takes the overflow. Nothing here settles the position at Clear Lake for certain.