Clark Lake Fishing near Stroud, Oklahoma

• Overview

  Look for Clark Lake in the Lincoln County part of Oklahoma. The surface lies 784 feet up. Surface area runs to roughly 269 acres, so plan for one area rather than the whole. On our Lincoln County list it sits near the top for size. Supplies mean a trip to Stroud, 8.8 miles off. Further out sit Chandler (9.4 miles) and Prague (11 miles). One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Clark Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Open biodiversity records for Lincoln County list channel catfish, orangespotted sunfish, green sunfish, largemouth bass and bluegill. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. Fish Clark Lake to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 37°F and July at about 82°F, the water has a wide range to work through. Winter is the comfortable season here rather than the difficult one. Heat pushes fish deep from June onwards, so start early. April and May are the settled weeks, with October close behind. On Clark Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. 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. Check whether bait restrictions apply before you buy any. If the gate is shut, Browns Lake at 1.3 miles is the nearest alternative. For Clark Lake in particular, ask before you travel.