Clear Lake near Tomahawk: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Clear Lake lies in Lincoln County, Wisconsin. Height above sea level is 1,450 feet. At some 264 acres it is far too large to cover on foot in a day. The edge runs 2.7 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. On our Lincoln County list it sits near the top for size. The nearest place of any size is Tomahawk, 4.2 miles away. Green Bay sits 109 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. You are close to a county edge here; who manages the access can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Clear Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Open biodiversity records for Lincoln County list brown trout, rainbow trout, pumpkinseed and walleye. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Clear Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 67°F; the cold one sits at 10°F. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near mid April. Expect the water usable from around mid April until roughly late November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. Time your trip to Clear Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  No public source sets out the position on this bank. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. You can launch from a ramp around 0.9 miles away. There is a campsite 0.9 miles from the water. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Failing this one, try Halfmoon Lake, 0.7 miles away. Where Clear Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.