Clopper Lake Fishing Guide, Montgomery County, Maryland

• Overview

  This water sits in Montgomery County, Maryland. Height above sea level is 367 feet. With some 54 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Around 2.1 miles of margin, front to back. On our Montgomery County list it sits near the top for size. For a base, Germantown sits 2.4 miles out. The nearest city of size is Arlington, 20 miles away. It lies deep inside the county rather than near an edge.

• Where to Fish on Clopper Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. Inflow corners move water, and moving water gathers fish. Draw-down through summer strips the margins, so follow the water out. Survey and observation records for Montgomery County include bluegill, largemouth bass, fantail darter, tessellated darter and green sunfish. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. The shape of Clopper Lake rewards a slow walk along one bank.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 76°F at the top of summer and 32°F at the bottom of winter. Most months fish reasonably, given the right weather. Cover comes and goes, so treat it with suspicion rather than trust. March through May is the strongest run, with October and November a second stretch. That is the shape of the year on Clopper Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. Parking within 150 yards means no long carry with tackle. A pier or jetty stands 90 yards away, which helps on a crowded bank. There are picnic tables recorded roughly half a mile off. There is a toilet block some half a mile out. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Lake Lynette, 1.7 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Nothing here settles the position at Clopper Lake for certain.