Fishing at Clark Lake, Door County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  You will find Clark Lake in Door County, Wisconsin. It lies 584 feet above sea level. At some 863 acres it is far too large to cover on foot in a day. There is roughly 5.7 miles of bank, more than one visit can cover properly. It is among the larger waters listed here for Door County. Sturgeon Bay sits 11 miles from here and is the nearest stop. Then Menominee, 24 miles, and Marinette, 24 miles. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Clark Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Records held for Door County cover brown trout, alewife and rainbow smelt. Several of these carry legal protection or closed seasons; the rulebook comes before the rod. Read Clark Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 68°F on average, January about 18°F. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around early April. On the long-run averages the water opens up around early April and starts locking again about mid December. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. That shapes the year on Clark Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Launching is possible: a slipway lies half a mile off. Mapping shows a jetty some half a mile off. Someone has mapped a fishing spot 0.9 miles off. Mapping records toilets within half a mile. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. The nearest alternative is Schwartz Lake, 3.5 miles out. Check the position at Clark Lake before loading the car.