Fishing Clark County State Lake in Ford County, Kansas

• Overview

  Clark County State Lake sits within Ford County in Kansas. The bank is 2,277 feet above sea level. Roughly 282 acres of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. The shoreline runs about 3.9 miles, so it pays to pick a stretch and stay with it. It sits higher than most water we list in Kansas. You are 28 miles from Dodge City. The nearest city of size is Wichita, 135 miles away. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Clark County State Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Draw-down through summer strips the margins, so follow the water out. Rip-rap along the wall holds fish that the open bank never does. Ford County records list largemouth bass, bluegill, green sunfish and longear sunfish among the fish reported. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Fish Clark County State Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 80°F and January near 31°F. The season stretches long at both ends here. It should never be assumed safe, whatever the month says. March through May is the strongest run, with October and November a second stretch. The season on Clark County State Lake rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. There is a launch about half a mile from the bank. There is somewhere to leave the car, half a mile off. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. The nearest alternative is Proffitt Lake, 20 miles out. Treat Clark County State Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.