Upper Clam Lake Fishing Guide, Ashland County, Wisconsin

• Overview

  Out in Ashland County, Wisconsin, sits Upper Clam Lake. It sits at 1,407 feet above sea level. The water covers some 168 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. About 2.5 miles of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. On our Ashland County list it sits near the top for size. Little Round Lake is the closest town at 26 miles. It is 135 miles to Saint Paul, the nearest city. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Upper Clam Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Survey and observation records for Ashland County include rainbow smelt, yellow perch and white sucker. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. Read Upper Clam Lake before you fish it and the day goes better.

• Seasonal Patterns

  On the long-term average, July reads 66°F and January reads 9°F. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from mid April. Break-up near mid April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. On Upper Clam Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. There is a slipway on the shore, half a mile from the water we list. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Ask in the nearest town if you are unsure. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. If the gate is shut, Pole Lake at 0.6 miles is the nearest alternative. For Upper Clam Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.