Clear Lake Fishing in St. Lawrence County, New York

• Overview

  St. Lawrence County in New York is where Clear Lake sits. Country round the bank runs to rolling bush. Around 40 acres of surface means several distinct areas to work. Shoreline comes to about 1.5 miles, small enough to learn in a day. For a base, Gouverneur sits 9.4 miles out. Kingston is the closest city, 59 miles away. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Clear Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Open biodiversity records for St. Lawrence County list rock bass, smallmouth bass and pumpkinseed. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. Treat Clear Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 68°F and January at 15°F. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. The lid usually goes in mid April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Open water usually runs from mid April until about early December. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. At Clear Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. If the gate is shut, Bonner Lake at 1.4 miles is the nearest alternative. What applies at Clear Lake may have changed since it was mapped.