Clear Lake Fishing near Kent City, Michigan

• Overview

  Clear Lake is one of the Kent County waters in Michigan. Elevation runs to 781 feet. Small at around 8 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Start from Kent City, 4.8 miles down the road. Grand Rapids is the closest city, 20 miles away. Others close at hand: Spring Lake within 0.5 miles, Chrishaven Lake lies 0.9 miles on, Baldwin Lake within 2.7 miles, Snow Lake lies 2.8 miles on and South Lake within 2.9 miles. The boundary is close enough to be worth checking before you fish.

• Where to Fish on Clear Lake

  Our records carry no depth, so judge it from the bank. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Public occurrence data for Kent County names bluegill, rock bass, johnny darter and largemouth bass. The county list is broader than any single water. Clear Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 70°F in July and bottom out at 21°F in January. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around early April. Break-up near early April, freeze-up near mid December: that is the shape of an average year. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. It sets the rhythm of the year at Clear Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. There is a mapped slipway roughly half a mile away. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Spring Lake, 0.5 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Nothing here settles the position at Clear Lake for certain.