Clear Lake Fishing near Livingston Manor, New York

• Overview

  You will find Clear Lake in Sullivan County, New York. Everything around it is rolling bush. Small at around 20 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Livingston Manor lies 5.3 miles from the water. Albany sits 73 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Other water within reach: Waneta Lake 1.2 miles away, Amber Lake 1.9 miles, Edgewood Lakes 1.9 miles away, Huggins Lake 3 miles and Mud Pond 3.2 miles away. The county edge is within a short distance of the bank.

• 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 shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Sullivan County records list brown trout, brook trout and smallmouth bass among the fish reported. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. At Clear Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 66°F at the top of summer and 20°F at the bottom of winter. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly early April. Break-up sits around early April on average, with the water closing again about mid December. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Expect Clear Lake to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Mapping shows a campsite some half a mile from the water. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. The nearest alternative is Waneta Lake, 1.2 miles out. None of that is settled for Clear Lake in what we hold.