Clear Lake Fishing in Vilas County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  The Vilas County end of Wisconsin holds Clear Lake. It lies 1,585 feet above sea level. With some 210 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. A shoreline of some 2.4 miles keeps the choices simple. Few waters listed in Vilas County are bigger. The nearest place of any size is Lac du Flambeau, 6.3 miles away. The nearest city of size is Green Bay, 134 miles away. The nearest edge is a long way off, so local rules apply throughout.

• Where to Fish on Clear Lake

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Public occurrence data for Vilas County names bluegill, yellow perch, walleye and largemouth bass. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. At Clear Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 66°F in July and bottoms out near 9°F in January. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. Look for the thaw near mid April; the fishing lifts straight after. Climate averages put the opening at about mid April and the closing near late November. Fishing peaks soon after break-up and again before the cold returns. That shapes the year on Clear Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Fuller Lake, 0.9 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Nothing on Clear Lake should be assumed from this page alone.