Clear Lake Fishing Guide, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa

• Overview

  This water sits in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa. It sits at 1,211 feet above sea level. At roughly 5.7 sq miles it ranks among the larger waters in the region. With about 16 miles of shoreline, local advice saves a lot of walking. It is the biggest water on our Cerro Gordo County list. Some 2 miles away sits Clear Lake, the nearest settlement. The nearest city of size is Rochester, 78 miles away. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Clear Lake

  Recorded depth comes to 30 ft. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Public occurrence data for Cerro Gordo County names bluegill, yellow perch, yellow bass and black bullhead. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. The shape of Clear Lake decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 72°F for July and 14°F for January. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around early April. Ice usually gives way near early April, and forms again about early December. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Clear Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  State or federal ownership covers this water. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Launching is possible: a slipway lies half a mile off. Recorded parking is half a mile off, far enough to travel light. The water borders Woodford's Island, so reserve rules are likely to apply. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Zerbel Slough, 6.4 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Signs at Clear Lake carry more weight than any list.