Clear Lake Fishing near Rhinelander, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Clear Lake is one of the Oneida County waters in Wisconsin. It stands 1,598 feet above sea level. With some 51 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. There is roughly 1.5 miles of shoreline here, which is a short walk end to end. The closest town, Rhinelander, is 12 miles distant. Eagle River is 13 miles away, with Lac du Flambeau at 24 miles. The boundary is near enough that local access rules are worth double-checking.

• Where to Fish on Clear Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Across Oneida County, recorded fish include brown trout, walleye, largemouth bass, northern pike and bluegill. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. At Clear Lake the water rewards a slow, careful approach.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 66°F and January reads 10°F. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. Break-up comes around mid April, and the run that follows is short and strong. Expect the water usable from around mid April until roughly late November. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. Clear Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Public data shows nothing built here, so treat the whole approach as informal. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Parking is often the real limit rather than the bank itself. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. Muskellunge Lake at 1 mile is the sensible second choice. Nothing here settles the position at Clear Lake for certain.