Clear Lake Fishing near Sisseton, South Dakota

• Overview

  South Dakota holds Clear Lake, in Marshall County. It lies 1,811 feet above sea level. The water covers around 1,211 acres, which puts most of it out of reach from the bank. Shoreline length is close to 5.5 miles, and each section fishes a little differently. It is among the larger waters listed here for Marshall County. For a base, Sisseton sits 15 miles out. The big place round here is Fargo, 86 miles distant. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Clear Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Marshall County records list bluegill, common carp, northern pike and smallmouth bass among the fish reported. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Fish Clear Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 71°F and January near 9°F. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. After mid April the shallows warm and the fish move up. Climate figures give an open season running mid April to late November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. That is the shape of the year on Clear Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. No made access appears within a short radius, so plan to park on a verge and walk. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Fishing rules and camping rules are set separately here. Should this one be busy, North Red Iron Lake is 1.7 miles off. Rules at Clear Lake are worth checking on the day.