Fishing Clear Lake in Barry County, Michigan

• Overview

  Clear Lake belongs to Barry County, Michigan. Country round the bank runs to pine and birch. At about 176 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. There is roughly 3.7 miles of bank, more than one visit can cover properly. It ranks high for size among our Barry County listings. Stony Point is the closest place, 8.1 miles off. After that come Hastings at 9.4 miles and Level Park-Oak Park at 10 miles. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Clear Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Records held for Barry County cover bluegill, largemouth bass, yellow perch, black crappie and pink salmon. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Work Clear Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 71°F; the cold one sits at 22°F. Winter shuts the surface down for months. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around late March. Averages place the thaw at late March and the freeze at mid December. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Expect Clear Lake to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. A ramp at Clear Lake Boat Launch is mapped half a mile away. Parking is not close: half a mile from the bank, and no nearer option is mapped. Toilets are half a mile away, which matters on a long session. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. The nearest alternative is Mud Lake, 1.6 miles out. Nothing here settles the position at Clear Lake for certain.