Lone Tree Lake in Deuel County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Set in Deuel County, Lone Tree Lake is a South Dakota water. The bank is 1,621 feet above sea level. It runs to roughly 170 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Shoreline comes to about 2.4 miles, small enough to learn in a day. Start from Clear Lake, 10 miles down the road. The big place round here is Sioux Falls, 92 miles distant. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Lone Tree Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Survey and observation records for Deuel County include white sucker, Iowa darter, johnny darter and yellow perch. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. Take Lone Tree Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-run averages give July about 72°F and January about 12°F. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Ice is part of the season here, ending near early April. On average, early April opens the water and late November closes it again. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Time your trip to Lone Tree Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Public sources are silent on who controls the bank. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. Formal access is not mapped, so the last stretch is likely on foot. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Failing this one, try Rush Lake, 3.7 miles away. None of that is settled for Lone Tree Lake in what we hold.