Fishing at Clear Lake, Cherry County, Nebraska

• Overview

  The Cherry County end of Nebraska holds Clear Lake. It stands 2,913 feet above sea level. About 509 acres, so local knowledge or a boat saves a lot of walking. With 4.7 miles or so of shoreline, boat anglers cover ground the bank cannot. It is among the larger waters listed here for Cherry County. Head to Valentine, 22 miles away, for anything you forgot. It is 208 miles to Sioux Falls, the nearest city. The nearest boundary is a fair way off.

• Where to Fish on Clear Lake

  Nothing in our records gives a depth for this one. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Across Cherry County, recorded fish include white sucker, common carp, green sunfish and rock bass. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. Fish Clear Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 73°F for July and 22°F for January. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from late March. Expect the water usable from around late March until roughly early December. The strongest runs come at either end of the open season. It sets the rhythm of the year at Clear Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public data does not answer the access question here. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. No made access is recorded, so a short walk in is the likely arrangement. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Take the rules with you rather than trusting memory. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Dewey Lake, 1.2 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Where Clear Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.