Fishing Clear Lake in Ionia County, Michigan

• Overview

  Ionia County, Michigan, is where Clear Lake sits. Elevation runs to 817 feet. It covers about 18 acres, so this is small water you can walk round in under an hour. Belding sits 6.4 miles from the bank. Further out sit Greenville (8 miles) and Ionia (9.9 miles). Within a short run: Horseshoe Lake just 0.9 miles, Long Lake a touch under 1.2 miles, Snow Lake just 2.9 miles, Race Lake a touch under 3.4 miles and Mud Lake just 3.8 miles. The county line runs close by, so rules can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Clear Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Fish documented in Ionia County include rainbow darter, bluegill and largemouth bass. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. Clear Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 70°F and January at 21°F. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Look for the thaw near early April; the fishing lifts straight after. Open water usually runs from early April until about mid December. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. That shapes the year on Clear Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. There is a slipway at Grass Lake Boat Launch, roughly half a mile off. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Should this one be busy, Horseshoe Lake is 0.9 miles off. What applies at Clear Lake may have changed since it was mapped.