Fishing Clark Lake in Chippewa County, Michigan

• Overview

  Within Chippewa County, Michigan, you have Clark Lake. Around the bank it is pine and birch. At about 163 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. The whole outline is near 2.0 miles, and most of it is walkable. It ranks high for size among our Chippewa County listings. Nearest place of any size is Newberry, 22 miles away. The big place round here is Green Bay, 198 miles distant. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Clark Lake

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Public occurrence data for Chippewa County names rainbow smelt, bloater, lake whitefish and alewife. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. Anyone new to Clark Lake should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 64°F for July and 15°F for January. Winter closes the water for a while, and the reopening is worth catching. Ice is part of the season here, ending near late April. Ice usually gives way near late April, and forms again about early December. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. Anyone fishing Clark Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Recorded parking is half a mile off, far enough to travel light. Light line and small metal for the trout; a fly rod earns its place on calm evenings. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. If the gate is shut, Betsy Lake at 1.4 miles is the nearest alternative. Check the position at Clark Lake before loading the car.