Lake Clymer near Clay Center: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Out in Butler County, Kansas, sits Lake Clymer. Height above sea level is 1,450 feet. The water covers some 102 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Shoreline comes to about 1.8 miles, small enough to learn in a day. Most waters listed here for Butler County are larger. The nearest place of any size is Clay Center, 5 miles away. Douglass lies 18 miles off, Augusta another 18 miles. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Lake Clymer

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Inflow corners move water, and moving water gathers fish. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. Open biodiversity records for Butler County list orangethroat darter, green sunfish, bluegill, flathead catfish and longear sunfish. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. The near bank of Lake Clymer is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 80°F for July and 30°F for January. A lid forms in a hard winter only. It should never be assumed safe, whatever the month says. April and May are the settled weeks, with October close behind. Plan around that when you fish Lake Clymer. A settled week fishes better than a changeable one.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. A slipway half a mile out gives trailer access. There is somewhere to leave the car, half a mile off. Facilities run to toilets half a mile from the water. For the catfish, fish bottom baits into the deeper holes and let them sit. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Timber Creek Lake sits 17 miles off and takes the overflow. Nothing here settles the position at Lake Clymer for certain.