Clear Lake in Baraga County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Clear Lake lies within the bounds of Baraga County, Michigan. It sits at 1,801 feet above sea level. It measures about 40 acres, which is a comfortable size for bank fishing. Shoreline comes to about 1.1 miles, small enough to learn in a day. It is high ground by Michigan standards. L'Anse at 12 miles is the nearest place to stop. Thunder Bay sits 129 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Clear Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Survey and observation records for Baraga County include yellow perch, pink salmon and white sucker. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. At Clear Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 63°F and January near 10°F. The middle months are generous; the ends are demanding. Look for the thaw near late April; the fishing lifts straight after. Break-up near late April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Clear Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. Should this one be busy, Wagner Lake is 1.1 miles off. None of that is settled for Clear Lake in what we hold.