Clear Lake Fishing Guide, Rock County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Out in Rock County, Wisconsin, sits Clear Lake. The water sits 817 feet up. The water covers some 91 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Roughly 1.5 miles of bank means you can walk to a fresh area when one goes quiet. Of the waters listed here in Rock County, this is the largest. Milton is the closest place, 2.4 miles off. For a city, Madison is 29 miles off. The boundary is near enough that local access rules are worth double-checking.

• Where to Fish on Clear Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Species logged across Rock County include common carp, rainbow trout, brown trout and smallmouth bass. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. On Clear Lake a short move beats a long cast.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages here run 72°F at the top of summer and 17°F at the bottom of winter. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. After late March the shallows warm and the fish move up. The water is typically free of ice between late March and mid December. Spring is short and heavy here; autumn is longer and steadier. Clear Lake fishes to that pattern most years.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. A boat ramp sits half a mile away, so trailered boats can get on. Mapping shows a campsite some half a mile from the water. Reserve land runs up to the bank here, so read the notices. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. For a change of water, Bowers Lake is 3.2 miles distant. Confirm access to Clear Lake locally before you travel.